Louis and Charlotte Perot spent their early careers in Paris, Louis in book sales and Charlotte in publishing, until the natural wine world pulled them south. In 2012 they began making wine in the Lot; by 2015 they had settled their hillside farmstead at Alary, above Puy-l'Eveque, and L'Ostal Levant became a proper estate. The name, Occitan for "the house facing east," is a nod to both the architecture of their home and their orientation toward freshness and light in everything they make.
Backstory
Louis studied viticulture at the Lycee Viticole in Beaune before interning with nearby natural winemaker Simon Busser, who lent the couple their first parcel. From that careful apprenticeship came an estate that has grown steadily since 2012. The initial focus was Malbec, Cahors's defining grape; since 2016 the Perots have expanded their plantings to include Mauzac, Loin de l'Oeil, Chenin, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Muscat a Petit Grain, and Chamboursin, reflecting a broad curiosity about what the Lot's highlands can express. Their farmstead includes a limestone cave that serves as the barrel cellar.
The Region
Cahors sits in the Lot department of Southwest France, a region whose red wines built on Malbec (locally called Cot) have long carried a reputation for structure and tannic grip. The Perots farm above the Lot River on north-facing slopes, a deliberate choice to preserve acidity and freshness rather than maximize ripeness. Their parcels sit in both the commune of Puy-l'Eveque and the adjacent commune of Duravel.
Vineyards & Farming
Total vineyard area is 3.5 hectares. Soils are heavy clay rich in iron deposits over a subsoil of limestone rock, offering more structure and mineral tension than the sandier lowland sites closer to the river. The Perots farm more than organically, with no pesticides or synthetic inputs, guided by the principle that the best Cahors comes from the hills. Low yields and careful canopy management deliver concentrated but never overripe fruit.
Winemaking
Most reds are destemmed and fermented in stainless steel with pigeage over 10 to 14 days of maceration. Barrel aging takes place in the cool, humid limestone cave. No sulfites are added at any stage of production. Wines are never filtered. White and skin-contact wines follow similar principles, with extended lees contact adding texture. By 2023 the domaine was producing 15 cuvees from its 3.5 hectares, all released as Vin de France while an official Cahors AOP release was pending.
The Wines
The flagship L'Ostal is a Cot-based red that trades in Cahors's characteristic mineral austerity rather than its old-school tannic weight. Vendredi is a varietal Cot of similar freshness. Maasai and other cuvees explore the newer plantings of Syrah, Mauzac, Loin de l'Oeil, and Chenin. Across the range, the Perots seek primary fruit balanced by natural acidity, evidence of what north-facing, elevated Cahors terroir can produce when farmed carefully and left alone in the cellar.
