Collection: Domaine de Loustal Blanc

A passionate story from an uncharted wine region

Isabel Cardoso-Foncale was born in Guinea-Bissau, a West African country that produces cashews, yams, cassava, sweet potatoes, and tropical fruits, but she never grew up knowing about viticulture. The only grapes Isabel saw growing up were in the shape of a pair of adorable earrings her mother gave her for her 15th birthday.

Years later, in 1998, while living in Paris, Isabelle discovered the world of wine through a job at Lafayette Gourmet, the mecca of French art de vivre. What started out as a summer job turned into her calling when the great sommelier Bruno Keniou invited her to join his team.

Having trained in the renowned cellars of Paris and recognized for her taster skills and wine knowledge, Isabelle served as sommelier in the wine and champagne bar of this world-renowned establishment for four years, welcoming connoisseurs from around the world.

But Isabel's earrings were no mere coincidence: they foreshadowed a remarkable destiny for a young woman born in the African tropics who, through a series of encounters and events, would establish herself as a wine grower par excellence.

In 2002, Isabelle founded the Domaine La Livinière, Premier Cru in the Languedoc region of Minervois, together with Claude Fontkerl, who had trained in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and then worked as winemaker in the Coteaux du Ventoux.

Today, L'Hostal Blanc's 8 hectares are home to Carignan, Grenache Gris and Noir, Cinsault, Macabeu and Syrah grapes, resulting in sun-soaked, refined wines that reflect the unique terroir and the sincere expression of a woman with a strong personality.