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TIME FOR CHRISTIAN<br />
DUMORTIER TO TASTE<br />
WINES AT CHÂTEAU<br />
DE LA PREUILLE<br />
pairing with oysters – which may well be remarkable but is also simplistic – the<br />
appellation now has its sights clearly set on the future, with characterful wines<br />
packed with freshness.<br />
CHÂTEAU DE LA PREUILLE:<br />
A GREAT INSTITUTION<br />
Behind the superb feudal castle lie vineyards designed for excellence. Philippe<br />
and his brother Christian Dumortier, the eleventh generation of a family of winegrowers,<br />
fully embody the flavour of Muscadet. The name Preuille stems from<br />
the Latin petra or petrosus which means a stony, rocky place. The vineyard boasts<br />
outstanding granite soils that lend the wines their hallmark stamp, now incorporated<br />
into the appellation’s ten village-designated growths. “Since 1986, our aim<br />
has been to showcase the superior qualities of the grape varieties in the Nantes<br />
wine region – Melon de Bourgogne for Muscadet and Folle Blanche for Gros-Plantdu-Pays-Nantais”,<br />
explains Christian Dumortier. “Our different labels sell for very<br />
affordable prices, well below their level of quality”. Tête de Cuvée, for example,<br />
displays all the defining features of a top dry white wine, but at a fraction of the<br />
price of neighbouring appellations. “The vineyards hived off for the label are located<br />
on hillsides with outstanding sub-soils of porphyroid granite with two micas from<br />
Clisson”, says Dumortier. “Combined with old vines, these soils deliver low yields<br />
of around 30 hectolitres, but in return produce wines with lots of concentration”.<br />
The nose is subtle and encapsulates the Melon de Bourgogne variety. In the glass,<br />
AUTUMN 2022 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE<br />
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