2017 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie, Domaine Haute Févrie, Loire
About this WINE
Domaine la Haute Fevrie, Muscadet
The Domaine "la Haute Févrie" lies 18 km south-east of Nantes, right in the middle of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation. The estate vines grow on the hills overlooking the Sèvre, between Saint-Fiacre and Monnières. They enjoy optimum ripening conditions and the Muscadet they produce is highly expressive of the soil it grew on.
The estate covers 30 hectares of vineyards, all under the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine AOC. The estate is broken into several plots, each with a different aspect and on different soil: siliceous clay or gravelly and shallow, all on metamorphic rock, resulting in a range of highly individual “clos”: Le Clos de la Févrie, Les Mauguitonnières, Les Gras moutons (Saint-Fiacre), Le Clos Joubert, Le Moulin de la Gustais, Le Clos du Pégatine and many others.
The vines are managed with environmentally friendly principles (no chemical fertilizers, with yield control and grape picking entirely by hand), and according to the Terra Vitis method for sustainable wine growing. All these practices result into Muscadet wines that reflect closely their terroir and the natural characteristics of the grape.
Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine
Muscadet is an important Loire appellation, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the region's total plantings, almost exclusively of Melon de Bourgogne – a grape imported into the Pay Nantais coastal region during the 17th century by Dutch merchants, as distilling material for their schnapps.
Qualitatively and quantitatively the key AOC is Sèvre-et-Maine, occupying the granitic soils between these two tributaries, and producing – in the right hands – tangy, sea-breezy, light, dry white wines with a distinct Atlantic zing (and a maximum ABV of 12 percent). Melon is also grown elsewhere on schistous and clay soils, imparting a richer if less distinctive character. Those labelled ‘sur lie’ have been left on their lees for up to six months over winter to give the wines extra body and complexity.
Château du Cléray and Domaine de la Jousselinière are both good sources.
Melon de Bourgogne
The most commonly grown grape in the Pays Nantais region of the Loire and the grape behind Muscadet wines. It was first planted in the Loire in the 17th century as the result of a severe frost and the decimation of most of the red varieties. Growers were attracted by the grape's resistance to frost and by its suitability for distillation.
It is a naturally high yielding grape that performs best on schistous and granitic soils. It produces very dry white wines with a distinctive mineral feel as well as almost neutral-flavoured fruit characteristics. Seldom seen outside the Pays Nantais, although there are some plantings in its native Burgundy.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
This domaine, 18 kilometres south of Nantes (with its beautiful waterways and giant mechanical elephant), is owned and meticulously run by Sébastien Branger. The domaine's 27 hectares stretch across numerous terroirs, but this cuvée hails from younger vines (15 to 35 years old) which ripen early, on a gneiss-rich slope overlooking the river Sèvre. It's hand harvested and aged for seven months on its lees. Slightly spritzy in the glass, as any good young Muscadet should be, with classic citrus aromas. The palate is feather-weight, with a modest 12 percent alcohol and electrifying acidity. This is a maritime wine, in the vein of a Txakoli or Vinho Verde, and an ideal accompaniment to all seafood, notably oysters or moules marinières.
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