2010 Abbaye Sylva Plana - Les Novices Faugиres

2010 Abbaye Sylva Plana - Les Novices Faugиres

The Abbaye Sylva Plana 45 hectares (108 acres) vineyard is located around the monastic barn of Sauvanes in Laurens, which forms part of Syllvanes Abbey (Aveyron), founded in 1139. Until the 12th Century, the monks continued to use the winegrowing methods used by the Romans settlers, which had been used for the first five centuries AD. In 1998, Nicolas and Henry Ferdinand Bouchard from Domaine Deshenrys, decided to create a partnership and long term investment with the Guy family, whose ancestors had settled in Laurens generations ago.

The vines are beautifully located to face directly south in contoured lines, and are planted on clay-chalky, clayey-limestone, grey marble but mainly on the local schisteous soils, making for all the typicity of the Faugиres wines. Schist is a silicate rock rich in aluminum and iron, showing amazing color from blue to red ferrous, brown, green and beige. It is excellent at retaining water (up to 40% up to its volume) and storing heat (almost twice as well as chalk), which then radiates slowly throughout the night after the extremely hot days, creating a perfect climate for optimum maturity. Here at Abbaye Sylva Plana, the 15 to 60 years old vines are rigorously cultivated: Ploughing and ancestral culture, conversion to Organically grown grapes (to be certified in 2009), natural low yields coming from the poor soils and short pruning. Grapes are then hand harvested for all the Cuvees followed by an additional hand selective picking of the grapes and berries once at the cellar.