Chateau Oumsiyat is situated in the village of Mtein in the foothills of the Mount Lebanon mountain range. Mtein or “Mother of the Maten Villages” according to Father Martin (history of Lebanon 1888) is one of the oldest villages in Lebanon, and the famous area planting vines and producing wines and arak since the antiquity and the presence of the Roman people. Mtein is at 36 kilometers from Beirut District, at 900 to 1300 meters of altitude in the mid-Lebanese Mount.

78 hectares of vineyards are scattered between the Bekka Valley and Mount Lebanon. Family-owned through 4 generations – built in 1950. Passion and heritage has been passed down through the Bou Sleiman family for four generations. When Joseph Bou Sleiman took over the reins at Chateau Oumsiyat , he blended respect for local tradition with modern techniques to craft modern, contemporary wines.

Average conditions in the Bekaa Valley apply. A cold and rainy winter allowed the vine to rest and the rainfall replenished the soil’s water reserves ready to nourish the vines through the hot, dry summer that followed. These hot, dry conditions helped keep the vineyard disease free and produced grapes with good concentration of fruit.

The vines are planted at an average altitude of 1,000 metres above sea level, where the warm days are tempered by cooler nights. The summer diurnal temperature difference is 20°C, which encourages an extended ripening period, concentrating the flavours and aromatic complexity in the berries, while retaining balancing acidity from the cool nights. The soil is calcareous clay which is a cool soil that has good water retention properties to nourish the vines during the hot, dry summers. Due to its pH, calcareous clay soils tend to produce refreshing wines, which encourages further balance to the ripeness of fruit. The vines are cane pruned and are planted at a density of 4,000 vines per hectare. The vineyard is cultivated with respect for the environment and the grapes are hand-harvested at optimal maturity.