Chateau De L’Ou

The Château de L’Ou winery is located in the southern French community of Montescot. The village lies in the region of Occitania, just five miles from the Bay of Lion in the Mediterranean Sea and less than 30 minutes to the Spanish region of Catalonia.

“L’Ou” in Catalan means “the egg” in French and the estate is named for an egg-shaped body of water that once covered the area. Séverine and Philippe Bourrier bought the 30-hectare estate in 1998 with 26 hectares of vines and four hectares of olive trees. They soon converted the vineyard to a certified organic operation. They have since added 24 hectares of vines covering three distinct terroirs.

Séverine grew up in Africa and returned to Bordeaux, her hometown, to become an oenologist. She applies her skills and knowledge to the southern grape varieties best grown in the arid and hot conditions of their estate.

Philippe started as an agronomist in Brazil, on rubber plantations where he tested organic methods. Returning to Catalonia, he was a pioneer in organic viticulture. He replanted new grape varieties on more than half of the estate, completely rehabilitated the cellar, and invested in new terroirs.

The couple pays particular attention to the life of the soil, allowing good deep development of the roots to promote the best expression of the terroirs. The original 26 hectares adjoining the estate are on alluvial marl soils, laid on the terraces of the dry Réart river. The additional vineyards are at elevations ranging from 300 – 400 meters. Grapes are harvested by hand from sunrise to noon to preserve the freshness of the fruit.