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Domaine de Fenouillet vineyard

Domaine de Fenouillet

The brothers Soard, Patrick and Vincent, own and operate this impeccable domaine the cellars of which are situated in the village of Beaumes de Venise, in the shadows of Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail.


The brothers Soard, Patrick and Vincent, own and operate this impeccable domaine the cellars of which are situated in the village of Beaumes de Venise, in the shadows of Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail. They trace their lineage as vignerons back to their great-grandfather, Casimir Soard, whose wines were winning medals as early as 1902. Their grandfather, Louis Soard, specialized in the production of the celebrated Muscat de Beaumes de Venise during the 1950s and his son, Yvon, father to Patrick and Vincent, continued to work and expand the vineyards in Beaumes de Venise and the surrounding communes, although he rendered his grapes to the local cooperative rather than vinifying and commercializing the wines of the domaine. In 1988, Patrick and Vincent, with the encouragement of their mother, Nicole, decided to renew the fame of the estate and constructed the chai and cellars necessary to vinify and bottle the full range of appellations available. In 1989, at the outset of this project, we had the good fortune to encounter the family and we immediately engaged to be their importer for the American market.

casks in room

Grapes in field textured background of dirt

The appellations include Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Ventoux (vineyards in the communes of Saint Hippolyte, Piniere, Aubignan and Barroux), Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and Beaumes de Venise (vineyards in Beaumes de Venise, La Roque Alric and Suzette).

The vineyards of the domaine are scattered over seven different communes, including, of course, Beaumes de Venise and the surrounding villages. The appellations include Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Ventoux (vineyards in the communes of Saint Hippolyte, Piniere, Aubignan and Barroux), Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and Beaumes de Venise (vineyards in Beaumes de Venise, La Roque Alric and Suzette). The Soard family has always farmed with great concern for the environment and now all of the wines produced at the domaine are certified “organic”.

Farming

Certified organic since 2012, practicing biodynamic.

Treatments

Copper-sulfate and biodynamic preparations

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to maintain vineyard health

Soils

Sands, river pebblestones, and limestone-clays

Vines

Planted at 4,500 vines/ha and trained in Cordon de Royat and Gobelet, vines average 30 years old.

Yields

Controlled through pruning, debudding, and green harvesting

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually late September

PURCHASING

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Following total destemming, wines ferment spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks or concrete vats. Cuvaison lasts 12-20 days. Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is fortified once it reaches 7% alcohol.

Extraction

Red wines see punchdowns and racks-and-returns during fermentation.

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic pressing for red wines. Direct pneumatic
pressing for rosé wines.

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, following alcoholic fermentation for red wines. Blocked by fortification for Muscat.

Élevage

Red wines spends 6-18 months in concrete vats. Rosé and white wines spend 3-6 months in stainless-steel tanks.

LEeS

Red wines are racked following malolactic. Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is racked after three months in stainless-steel tanks.

FINING & FILTRATION

White and rosé wines are fined with bentonite and filtered with diatomaceous earth. Red wines are unfined.

SULFUR

Applied at harvest and at bottling, with 100 mg/l free
sulfur for white wines, 40-50 mg/l for red and rosé wines.

Farming

Certified organic since 2012, practicing biodynamic.

Treatments

Copper-sulfate and biodynamic preparations

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to maintain vineyard health

Soils

Sands, river pebblestones, and limestone-clays

Vines

Planted at 4,500 vines/ha and trained in Cordon de Royat and Gobelet, vines average 30 years old.

Yields

Controlled through pruning, debudding, and green harvesting

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually late September

PURCHASING

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Following total destemming, wines ferment spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks or concrete vats. Cuvaison lasts 12-20 days. Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is fortified once it reaches 7% alcohol.

Extraction

Red wines see punchdowns and racks-and-returns during fermentation.

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic pressing for red wines. Direct pneumatic pressing for rosé wines.

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, following alcoholic fermentation for red wines. Blocked by fortification for Muscat.

Élevage

Red wines spends 6-18 months in concrete vats. Rosé and white wines spend 3-6 months in stainless-steel tanks.

Lees

Red wines are racked following malolactic. Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is racked after three months in stainless-steel tanks.

Fining & Filtration

White and rosé wines are fined with bentonite and filtered with diatomaceous earth. Red wines are unfined.

Sulfur

Applied at harvest and at bottling, with 100 mg/l free sulfur for white wines, 40-50 mg/l for red and rosé wines.

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