Ostal Levant - Louis & Charlotte Pérot

"Ostal" translates to house, but saying "house" partially loses its meaning. "Ostal" is inextricably linked to people and the succession of generations, animals, plants, buildings, and land. We settled in the Lot region in 2012.

Since 2015, we have been restoring a small, isolated farmhouse on a hilltop. It comprises about twenty hectares in one contiguous plot, including meadows, woods, old vines and orchards, and fruit trees. We try to make the most of the land: the trees are used for the buildings (wine cellar and living quarters), fence posts, and firewood; the old fruit trees for apple juice and jams; sheep, goats, and chickens are part of the farm. The idea is to keep the farm a reasonable and modest size so that we can do most of the work ourselves, and sometimes with the help of visiting friends.

Part of the vineyard is located on the hills above Duravel (170m altitude), three small plots of Cot planted in the late 1970s in the woods on a siderolithic hillside. (Zamble, Fioretti, Regain...) The old vines on the farm in Puy l'Evêque have been preserved (Un Coeur Simple) and since 2016 we have planted: a massal selection of Cot (Maasaï), Mauzac/Loin de l'Oeil/Chenin (Jaune Bleu Blanc, Le Bleu du Ciel (Chenin only)), a blend of a dozen grape varieties (Hilarius), and hybrids (Chambourcin + old resistant varieties = Goupil). In spring 2021, we will plant Cot, Syrah, and Muscat in Puy l'Evêque.

We use no oenological additives. Our winemaking techniques are varied, including whole-cluster fermentation with crushing or carbonic maceration, and destemming. Vinification takes place in wooden vats, cement tanks, barrels, stainless steel, and fiberglass, but aging is done exclusively in barrels. All our wines are aged in an old quarry carved into the hard limestone, located 5km from the winery. We produce about a dozen cuvées each year, all made from 100% grapes. For the reds, we primarily use Cot (Malbec) and several old grape varieties. We have also produced white wines since 2019 (Mauzac, Chenin Blanc, Loin de l'Oeil).