Southold

Southold

Southold is a small vineyard located in Francs, east of Bordeaux, about ten kilometers from Saint-Émilion. The estate was born from a rather unique journey: before arriving in Bordeaux, its founders made wine on Long Island, then spent six years in Texas. They ultimately chose Francs for its still-preserved character and potential. Here, the limestone-dominated soils, altitude, and a cooler climate allow for slow and late ripening, producing wines that favor freshness, precision, and moderate alcohol levels.

The estate currently has about 5.3 hectares of vines, with a core vineyard made up of old Merlots, some of which are over 60 years old. Alongside traditional Bordeaux grape varieties, Southold develops a much broader range of varieties, including Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin, Savagnin, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc. The work in the vineyard follows organic and regenerative principles, with attention paid to soil life, cover crops, and biodiversity. Each plot is vinified separately, in small quantities, with indigenous fermentations and, for the reds, a significant use of whole clusters. In the cellar, aging favors neutral containers (used barrels, concrete, and stainless steel) and new wood is deliberately avoided. The wines are, when conditions allow, bottled without fining or filtration.

Southold is currently a very small independent estate, conceived and operated directly by its owners. Their approach is deliberately counter to the traditional Bordeaux model: no search for volume or ostentatious prestige, but a desire to deeply understand their few hectares and to let the places express themselves in the wines. Production remains confidential, around 800 cases in 2025, and the bottles are primarily distributed through an allocation intended for their mailing list and a few selected restaurants and wine shops. Southold thus claims a fairly free vision of Bordeaux, more focused on the work of the land, the identity of Francs, and the precision of the wines than on the classic codes of the Bordeaux chateau.