Let’s head to Languedoc and discover Franck Soulayrol and the Oratoire Saint Jean d’Aureilhan estate. Franck is unquestionably one of the region’s rising stars. The son of a winemaker and nephew of the Vaillé family, owners of La Grange des Pères, he spent many years travelling around the French winegrowing landscape to gain experience. In 2021, he came back to his homeland, on the shores of Lake Salagou, to establish his estate and put his expertise to work. The estate lies in the heart of the Languedoc, between Béziers and Montpellier.
Here, six hectares of vines?–?Mourvèdre, Syrah, Sangiovese and Chenin?–?thrive on soils of schist, limestone and marl. Franck favours organic viticulture practices that respect the environment. The young winemaker prefers manual labour and low-intervention vinification methods. His wines are aged in 228-litre Burgundy pieces, and bottled under the IGP Coteaux de Salagou appellation. This is an estate to watch very closely.