Anecdotes from the estate: First harvest, first bottling, and first labels depicting the "Château des Mille et une nuits" (Castle of a Thousand and One Nights), but fraud prevented him from using a castle that didn't exist... Since the labels were already printed, the castle was crossed out with a marker. This is how the estate acquired its name, CASTEL OUALOU, and especially its logo with the crossed-out castle. "Oualou" in Arabic means nothing; it's the castle that doesn't exist, a cheeky gesture to everyone! The estate's history: Independent winemaking expertise passed down from generation to generation for quality production! Our grandmother, Marie Pons Mure, created the estate in 1961 upon returning from Algeria. She bought fallow land where vines had been cultivated before the phylloxera epidemic. My father created the Domaine des Garrigues and the Domaine des Causses & St Eynes. Upon our father's death, my brother and I decided to combine the three estates and create the ASSEMAT vineyards. The pride of the estate: Located near the wine-growing village of Roquemaure, in the heart of the Lirac appellation, the estate is characterized by a terroir composed primarily of red clay and pebbles, dry and rocky slopes, and limestone. The north-south exposure is a major asset for producing wines of great finesse. Sustainable farming practices and meticulous soil work are integral to our daily work. During the harvest, each grape variety is picked separately according to its ripeness. The average age of the vines is 50 years. Our wines are Terra Vitis certified (the hallmark of French winemakers who respect nature and people, and craft wines for the pleasure of the taster). Our practices allow us to obtain healthy and authentic wines, letting the terroir fully express itself.