The love of a job well done
“When I taste my wines, I look for the fault and when I can’t find it I worry …” Isabel Fonquerle often says. It is worth long speeches …
Manual harvest
The domain Oustal Blanc practice manual harvesting in small boxes of 12 kg pierced with a first sorting in the vineyard and then a cooling of the harvest to 10 ° before passing through the stemmer and finally on a vibrating table a final manual sorting. Thus, the grapes reached the winery totally cleared of all green materials.
Vinification : rigor and precision
With winemaking comes the moment of truth, a process that conceals its share of mystery but which requires rigor and precision first. During all the phases of this transformation of the grapes into quality wines, Isabel ensures that the general philosophy of the domain is respected: the hand and brain of man are there to express and sublimate the work of nature.
This respect for the grapes and the product leads Isabel to reduce the addition of sulphite as much as possible. Thus, the Domaine de l’Oustal Blanc obtained a gold badge for the low sulphite content (-75% compared to the maximum authorized rate) of its Giocoso and “K” wines.
Vats made to measure
L’Oustal Blanc use vats made of raw cement and sand, without polyepoxide, in a cylindrical shape. Made to measure in Italy, these vats promote exchanges between juice and marc during vinification. The inertia of the material erases thermal shock during vinification and during aging.
Red wines
80% of the production is vinified in raw cement and sand vats (see opposite). The alcoholic and malolactic fermentations are generally carried out under pomace. All operations (unballasting, pumping over, punching down) are carried out after tasting the musts. 30,000 bottles per year
White wine
The Grenache Gris and Macabeu harvests, free of all impurities, are pressed in a vertical press giving very clear juices. After settling, the juices are placed in 500l litre oak and acacia barrels where the one-year aging will take place. Alcoholic fermentation, no malolactic. The two barrels are bottled separately, the acacia in 75 cl and the oak in 150 cl. 2300 bottles per year.
