Hortus
La Soulane

Hortus


la Soulane

AOC Pic Saint-Loup,Languedoc

20%250

100% Mourvdre

30 hl/Ha

25-30

1212

2016
1,930

Mourvdre

Mourvdre
MourvdreHortus

(Decanter’s rating: 93 points)
Jean Orliac Soulane Dit 100% Mourvdre Hortus AOP Combe de Morties Pic Saint Loup
2016 L’Ombree Mourvdre MourvdreHortus

This cuve comes from a single plot: La Soulane, one of the most beautiful terroirs of the estate.
It is south oriented in the middle of the slope, under the cliff of Hortus Mountain. The calcareous soil is both draining and deep. The vine, despite being exposed on one of the hottest spot of the valley doesnt suffer from the summer drought, thanks to the high quality of its clay sub-soils. The micro-climate of the plot is typically Mediterranean. The fauna and Flora (La Proserpine butterfly, La Nigelle – flower, both displayed on the label) surrounding and within the parcel testify of it. This gives way to a nice maturity gathering power and balance between fine tannins, acidity and aromas.
Considering the perfect maturity of the grapes and therefore of the tannins, the purity and elegance obtained doesnt require an ageing in oak barrels.
The philosophy of this wine is to get an expression of the terroir la Soulane with a minimum of resources.

Appellation:
AOC Pic Saint-Loup, Languedoc

Country of Origin:
France

Type:
Red/Rouge (Still)

Terroir:
Brown soils shaped on calcareous screes of Cretac period.
Slopes of 20% inclination at an altitude of 250 m.

Grape Varieties:
100% Mourvdre

Yields:
30 hl/ha.

Vinification:
Destemmed and crushed harvest.
Vatting time of 25 to 30 days.
Temperature of fermentation maintained below 24C.

Maturing:
12 months in vats and12 months in bottle.

Production of 2016 vintage:
1,930 bottles

Tasting Notes:
No oak for a pure expression, atypical for Mourvdre grape.
This wine is a translucent black-red colour, with a subdued aromatic profile. The allusions evoke soft leather and forest plants rather than primary fruits, but on the palate, by contrast, this is indeed a pure-fruited wine.
Plum, blackberry and chocolate are met by graceful tannins and gentle acids. It shows none of Mourvdres typical animal notes, and is smooth, concentrated, pure and complex.
It may be sunny, it may be pure Mourvdre, but that stealthy elegance is still very much Hortus.

(Decanter’s rating: 93 points)
Jean Orliac was orginally from the Pyrennes, and”Soulane” is a southwestern dialect word for a sunny field. The Dit is a pure Mourvdre wine from a mid-slope site underneath Hortus, south-facing and solar – though it should also be said that the AOP as a whole has much warmer sites than this, especially in the Combe de Morties to the south of the Pic itself. This wine is a translucent black-red colour, with a much more subdued aromatic profile than the 2016 L’Ombree. The allusions
evoke soft leather and forest plants rather than primary fruits, but on the palate, by contrast, this is indeed a pure-fruited wine. Plum, blackberry and chocolate are met by graceful tannins and gentle acids. It shows none ofMourvdre typical “animal” notes, and is smooth, concentrated, pure and complex. It may be sunny, it may be pureMourvdre, but that stealthy elegance is still very much Hortus.