Where is Southold now?
Who owns and runs it?
Why did you leave Texas for Bordeaux?
What do you farm and how much wine do you make?
What do you farm and how much wine do you make?
What are the current wines?
Do you farm organically?
How do I buy?
Why Bordeaux, and why Francs?
How do you see Southold's place in Bordeaux?
How do you set prices?
What's your winemaking philosophy?
We farm and make wine in Francs, Bordeaux, France—a small hillside appellation about 10 km east of Saint-Émilion.
The Texas tasting room and restaurant closed in August 2023. We moved to Bordeaux that same month and bought the property in April 2024. There's no tasting room or restaurant here. Visits happen by request only—contact us directly.
Southold is led by Regan and Carey Meador. We're still the only ones making wine in our cellar.
The French farming and production company is Meador Family Wine Company (MFWC, SAS).
The U.S. import and direct-to-consumer arm is Southold Farm & Cellar, Inc. (Texas).
We'd spent years learning what Texas could teach us, but by 2023 we were ready for a different set of questions. The climate and conditions made certain choices necessary that didn't align with where we wanted to go.
Francs gave us the opportunity to farm and make wine the way we'd always envisioned, without the compromises the Texas climate demanded. It's a continuation of the same principles, just in a place better suited to express them.
Current estate (2025): ~6.4 ha under vine.
Core plantings: old-vine Merlot, young Cabernet Franc (just grafted), Chardonnay, plus future parcels of Chenin Blanc, Xarello, Savagnin, and Sauvignon Blanc (coming into production 2027-2029).
Production: ~1,000 cases in 2025, with an eventual steady state around 4,000 cases annually. No single wine exceeds 400 cases—most are much less.
Native fermentations, no enzymes or additives.
Whole-cluster fermentations for reds.
Élevage in neutral barrels of various sizes (mostly large), plus concrete and stainless tanks.
Minimal sulfur use.
Bottled without fining or filtration unless stability requires it.
2024 Release (first Bordeaux vintage):
Rouge Clair — a modern take on Clairet, between rosé and red.
Le P'tit Rouge — Merlot-based red from older parcels.
Prices range from accessible to collectible. Aging potential and library offerings—we'll see.
We work to organic and regenerative standards but don't chase certification. That means cover crops, biodiversity corridors, and eventually livestock integration. Our focus is on farming and winemaking that allow the vineyard to speak for itself.
Direct (preferred): Join the mailing list at southold.fr—it's free. U.S.-only for now, working out EU.
Allocations: Spring and fall releases, depending on what's available. Think of it as our own mini en primeur—short windows, small discount from retail.
Mailing list members get access to all wines. Quantities adjust based on length of membership.
Distributors: TBD
We weren't looking for an easier path, we were looking for a truer one. Francs drew us in with its limestone, slopes, and cooler air: conditions where freshness, nuance, and patience still matter.
We'll always make Merlot here. Just not only Merlot. The mix of old vines and new plantings lets us ask different questions of this place.
Not chasing classifications, not trying to impersonate the region's hierarchy. Our work is about building a new taste memory for Francs—parcel-driven wines that value lift, clarity, and integrity over conformity.
Prices reflect the cost of the work and the health of the operation. Nothing more, nothing less.
Wine isn't a performance or a pose. It's farming carried through to the glass, season, soil, and choices made visible. If we do it right, the wines are less about us, more about the place holding steady under our hands.