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MUSCADET
VINEYARDS
CHÂTEAU DE LA PREUILLE
With the waves of the Atlantic Ocean breaking
within earshot and the banks of the Loire
lining France’s longest river nearby, the birthplace
of Muscadet ushers in the city of Nantes and its
storied castle of the Dukes of Brittany. The location
enhances wines whose true worth deserves to be
fully recognised. Long maligned for the quality of
its wines, the local wine industry has grasped the
nettle and begun to claw the market back. With
sales on the rise and improved price points, the
appellation is regaining its market status. With a
vineyard footprint of 8,000 hectares – which has
declined in recent years – the appellation has held
on to its ranking as France’s leading single-variety
wine region. It is also the only appellation in the
world made from Melon de Bourgogne, and has
optimised its production potential, which boasts
astounding variety. The defining traits of Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine
sur Lie are its freshness,
finesse, aromas and mineral notes. The wines can
be enjoyed when young, but also show good ageability.
Caught up in this virtuous circle, they have
been given a whole new lease of life. Aromatic,
accessible and supple, they have become a magnet
for new, young urban consumers.
CHRISTIAN DUMORTIER IN HIS VINEYARDS AT CHÂTEAU DE LA PREUILLE
After many years spent restructuring the
vineyards in the early 2000s, growers were
rewarded from 2011 onwards with official recognition
for ten village-designated growths made
to extremely stringent production standards –
this paved the way for a resurgence across the
region. The ten complementary geographical
designations sit at the top of the Muscadet
pyramid and the Nantes wine federation has
deftly defined them in a single word: Clisson,
power; Gorges, length; Le Pallet, lushness;
Goulaine, harmony; Château-Thébaud, finesse;
Monnières-Saint-Fiacre, fleshiness; Mouzillon-Tillières,
complexity; La Haye-Fouassière,
elegance; Vallet, richness; and Champtoceaux,
silkiness. Each one offers complexity and ageability,
stemming from extended lees maturation,
low yields and the site-expressiveness of
prime, varied vineyards. Long disparaged and
pigeonholed as inferior, quick-drinking wines for
38 AUTUMN 2022 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE