Domaine Sol Payré

In the south of the Languedoc-Roussillon, at the very last vineyard before Spain, you will find Domaine Sol Payré. This is a Catalan country, where the Sol-Payré family tend their vineyards at the edge of the Pyrenees. It has been in the family since 1913 and so far, five generations have cared for it. Now is the turn of Jean-Claude with his wife Pascale, daughter Margaux and son Bertrand. When they celebrated the 100th anniversary in 2013 it was with the slogan “Resist!” They believe it is vital to maintaining the company’s independence no matter what challenges arise.

The vineyards have two distinctive terroirs. A 7-hectare site in the Agly Valley stands at an elevation of 300 meters. The soil here is rocky, formed of gneiss, granite, and schist. Further south the other terroir is in the Aspres area where they have 40 hectares of clay-limestone soil. The combination of the soil, the high temperatures and lack of rain and carefully chosen grapes brings fine rewards. All of the Domaine Sol-Payré wines come under the Côtes de Roussillon appellation. They use mostly Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah grapes. They also use Carignan, a Spanish grape variety that is more common in French wines.

They use the green harvest technique to maximize yield. This means picking some grapes when still green in order to thin the vines. This allows the remaining grapes to get more sunlight. They typically ferment the reds in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats before ageing in wooden barrels for 12 months.

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