The wine maker’s curriculum is a bit atypical since she only began her oenology education in Montpellier after finishing her pharmacy degree. This was once she became aware that her family’s marvellous winery wouldn’t survive unless she invested full-time in it and in a very professional manner.

However what was perhaps a marriage of convenience at first immediately became a revelation. Sophie GELY found it impossible to resist Bacchus’s song, with its subtle blend of her two passions, art and science

Once she obtained her degree in oenology she found it necessary to increase her knowledge of viticulture. Therefore she enrolled in the ENSAM in a CESA program. There she had another revelation: what a pleasure to drink in the words of Professer CHAMPAGNOL or Professer BOURSIQUOT, to understand that the vine is a living being and respecting it is the key to quality.

In 1995 she made her first wine, and discovered the fulfillment of communing with the raw material, shaping it to give birth to a wine. There followed four years of adaptation, where she took charge of everything and evaluated the potential. These four years enabled her to recognize that the soil at Preïssan is perfect for cultivating Grenache.

in 1999 she bottled her first vintage. What a joy knowing the consumer’s opinion, finding out that her cuvees, in which she invested a major part of herself, appeal to the consumer. Even though she didn’t have any big investors to back her the first year two articles appeared in the press (Terre de Vins - Vins & Gastronomie). Once concerned her second vintage, "Le Bailli" which was tasted and approved by ELLE magazine while her L'Âme de la Garrigue new cuvee 2001, was mentioned during the show "Don’t gulp it, savor it" by J.P. COFFE on France Inter as soon as it was on the shelves. He described it as "a very concentrated, pure Grenache, a great wine from the Commanderie de Preïssan".

This positive reception vindicated her choice to let her heart and passion speak by making wines resembling her using grenache grapes. It is the best encouragement and the greatest driving force for the future. Thank you to all who appreciate her work, your recognition is what fuels her.