2021 Côtes du Roussillon Blanc, Château de l’Ou

Château de l’Ou is a dynamic, organic estate owned by oenologists Séverine and Philippe Bourrier. Séverine grew up in Africa and returned to her hometown of Bordeaux to study oenology, while Philippe started out as an agronomist working the Hevea plantations in Brazil, where he experimented with organic cultivation. In 1998, Séverine and Philippe Bourrier bought Château de l’Ou, in Montescot, in Roussillon. ‘L’Ou’ translates as ‘egg’ in Catalan, and refers to an ovoid-shape resurgence of water that was located at the site of the property. They immediately converted to organic farming- an avant-gardist approach in Roussillon at that time and the estate is now certified by Ecocert. The estate, which originally comprised 30 hectares: 22 hectares of vineyard and four of olive trees, has been gradually expanded by adding plots from across the region, by 2018, it covered a further 45 hectares. They use their expertise to cultivate the Roussillon terroir with its heat and arid lands to hand-craft wines using a variety of fermentation vessels, from concrete eggs, terracotta and sandstone amphora to barrels, producing stunning, supple cuvées which showcase this distinctive terroir.