Muriel Zoldan
Muriel Zoldan is the only natural winemaker in her appellation and one of the best loved in the Southwest wine region. She farms organically, vinifies naturally and works with an array of vessels, including Georgian qvevri buried underground.
Muriel Zoldan, Domaine Antocyâme
Muriel Zoldan is the physical and creative force behind Domaine Antocyâme. She worked in the Languedoc before buying this 7 hectare estate in La Salvetat-Belmontet near Montauban with her partner Benjamin in 2017: “I fell in love with the views from the house first. The vines are hidden behind it. When I go back home, I’m no longer in the vines. They’re behind me, but next to me.” She’s like a shepherd with her sheep, a mother with her children, she knows her vines inside out and can sense when they need her.
Muriel is a qualified therapist as well as an oenologist, specialised in traditional Chinese medicine and well-versed in Ayurvedic and Egyptian medicine too. She’s used to accompanying wavering souls in search of balance and repair. She’s a farmer or as she says herself “a paysanne - an artisan of the landscape.” The name ‘Antocyâme’ is a portmanteau of anthocyane, the red pigment found in grape skins and sometimes in the flesh, and âme which is French for soul. Science meets poetry at Muriel’s place. Earth meets sky. Black grapes meet white grapes on one unbroken piece of land above the house: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Tannat, Abouriou, Syrah for the red wines and Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Muscat de Hambourg for the whites.
She cares for her vines as she would any self-regulating, ever-evolving living being, and her insight into elemental forces and the healing power of nature is palpable in her deep, soulful, generous wines. “There are wines that touch the soul, that provoke emotions, I think that’s the key, the definition of living wines. Whether you practice regenerative viticulture or permaculture, whatever path you choose, the essential thing is to bring life back to the soils with green fertilisers, organic matter, little composts or biodynamic preparations. They create life in the soils which creates a symbiosis with the vine and then you find that living energy in the wines, in the grapes, and as we work with native yeasts, they have strong markers of the terroir.”
There’s texture and tension in her wines, matter and something else, a vital energy. Aromas, flavours and sensations that carry you away. Take Sélénite, a golden Chardonnay with notes of baked white fruit and orange peel. Or Blanc de Zinc, a 100% sauvignon on tropical fruit with a hint of fennel and a fresh and mineral finish.
SLT is a smashable red wine with aromas and flavours of violets, dark fruit and black pepper.
Inanna is 2 barrels of Cabernet Franc, 2 barrels of Syrah and 2 barrels of Tannat - a real taste of the South West without ever getting heavy. A whiff of leather and coffee comes first, then a playlist of ripe black fruit in the mouth. A generous, joyous, reassuring wine to decanter and pair with good friends, extended family and excellent duck.
Tannat & Moi is a rare limited edition. Crafted from Muriel’s favourite grape variety. This wine is matured in clay qveri buried right in front of her house. It spends 9 months in this “womb” before entering dedicated black ceramic bottles: “the wine goes from earth to earth, from stone to stone, protected from the shock of entering this world.” Every movement is given thought at Domaine Antocyâme, and everything is linked.
Discover the full story of Muriel Zolan and her estate in L’Ame des Grappes Bleues, a graphic novel written by Pauline Dupin-Aymard with pastel illustrations by Clara Debray, or listen to this rich exchange between Muriel and Perrine @lacontrecave (in French only).
At a Glance
Hectares
12
Terroir
Clay-limestoneon the slopes and terrasses of Montauban (IGP Compte Toloson)
Grape Varieties
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet franc, Syrah, Merlot, Tannat, Abourriou , Muscat de Hambourg, Italia, Dattier
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