A Week with Roussillon Winemaker Séverine Bourrier
This past week we had the pleasure of welcoming Séverine Bourrier from Château de l’Ou to all of K&L’s store locations. Château de L’Ou is based in the Roussillon, the French Catalan region that borders Spain on the Mediterranean side of France. Séverine’s wines are singular expressions of Syrah and Grenache that are reference points for this region.
I had the pleasure of accompanying Séverine as we met the staff in each location and had a couple of opportunities to meet and greet the public with a stellar lineup of her wines. We started in Redwood City, where we also had a pop-up public tasting on Tuesday. After an amazing turnourt, the next day we journeyed to San Francisco for a morning staff training before hopping a plane to Los Angeles. Thursday, we visited K&L’s Hollywood location and that evening welcomed some of our tasting room regulars. And finally on Friday, we wrapped up our statewide adventure at K&L’s newest location in Culver City on LA’s Westside.
It was a whirlwind ride for sure, but the reception Séverine received from our sales teams and from you avid tasters was overwhelmingly warm and enthusiastic. It’s rare that we get to spotlight one of our Direct Import producers in this fashion, and we sincerely want to thank everyone for your support and tasting with us. Your support demonstrates why we are so proud of these DIs and the small producers behind them.
Here are some of the wines we talked about and featured on our visits:
Séverine has a few different vineyards she farms, but the ones closest to her estate just south of Perpignan produce her classic value range. The 2022 Château de L'Ou Côtes du Roussillon Blanc $10.99 is a blend of Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, and Roussanne, the classic local grapes of the region. It is clean, fresh, and mineral-driven and provides instant pleasure for those seeking a richer-styled summer white. Alongside the Blanc is the 2021 Château de L'Ou Côtes du Roussillon Rouge $10.99 91JS. This is a generously rich and juicy red that surely over delivers and will make a great pairing for you outdoor barbecuers out there.
The single-variety wines are primarily from the regions around the village of Maury and St-Paul-de-Fenouillet. This area is known for its incredible schist soils, which produce low yields of incredibly complex and experssive fruit. The 2021 Chateau de L'Ou "Infiniment" Chardonnay Côtes Catalanes Blanc $19.99 93JD is 100% Chardonnay from the farthest west and highest altitude vineyard in her holdings. The wine ages in a mix of amphora and oak, achieving a texture that is sinewy and crisp. This is a more mineral style that feels akin to a Chablis than a broader, richer Burgundy. I love this for its fresh apple and lemon curd character. A great aperitif Chard!
There are two wines the bear the name Secret de Schistes. The first is the 2020 Château de L'Ou "Secret de Schistes" Côtes Catalanes Blanc $20.99 95JD made from 100% Grenache Gris. Grenache has three colors (much like Pinot Noir): blanc, rouge, and gris, which is the pink-skinned version. The wine is direct pressed and the juice runs clear. Grenache Gris is the grape to watch in this region and is making some of its most interesting and compelling whites. This is aged also in a mix of wood and amphora giving it a full-bodied character, with flavors of nectarine, roasted orange peel, and white flowers. It is even more superb when it has been opened or decanted for an hour or two. (Decant those bigger white wines people! You’ll thank me for it!)
The other Secret de Schistes is the 2020 Château de L'Ou "Secret de Schistes" Syrah Côtes Catalanes $34.99 94JD. Made from 100% Syrah. This has long been a K&L favorite. It was the first wine we ever brought over from Séverine and firmly established her as one of our most exciting producers. This is a lush and rich Syrah with lots of blue and black fruit, but it is tempered with savory notes of tobacco and fresh leather. This is a dead ringer for full-bodied Hermitage but at half the price.
The 2020 Château de L'Ou "Compartir" Cotes du Roussillon-Villages $25.99 94JD is all from the village of Maury but this blend is declassified since Séverine makes it outside the village itself. This is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Carignan, and 20% Syrah is a classic but elevated version of local Roussillon wines. It is loaded with complex flavors of blackberry, anise, black pepper, and cocoa. Another compelling wine that shows just how diverse Séverine’s talents are.
Finally, we finished with the 2019 Château de L'Ou "Grenache Rhapsody" Côtes Catalanes Rouge $40.99 95JD, which is 100% Grenache from Séverine’s oldest plot in Maury. These are 100+-year-old vines with extraordinarily low yields. And it shows; this is pure and loaded with gorgeous layers of blueberry, blackberry, currant jam, smoked meats, and pipe tobacco. All aged in large amphora, this was one of the highlights of our tastings and shows just how distinct and promising great Grenache is in capable hands.