Wines

After harvest the grapes are pressed and the juice is placed in underground cuves in typical and ancient fashion in the Muscadet district. The alcoholic fermentation proceeds at low temperatures for three to five weeks. Afterwards the wine is racked off the gross lies and is left to age on the fine lies until bottling. During the period of élevage, the wines are in constant contact with the lies, with frequent batonage. The result is a fresh, mineral-driven wine that occasionally carries an almost imperceptible effervescence.  Bottling normally occurs during the period of March through May of the year following harvest.

Named after the hero in Jules Verne’s classic “Around the World in Eighty Days,” this cuvée is a selection of some of the best lots at harvest, and while the components can vary from vintage to vintage, it typically centers around holdings in La Louer. Vincent and Cécile give it longer on the fine lees than the basic Muscadet—up to 18 months—and keep their sulfur additions below 80 mg/L total. It shows greater depth, power, and complexity, while still remaining crisp and mineral-fronted.

The domaine owns a single hectare of 40-year-old vines in the renowned cru La Haye Fouassiere, whose terroir consists of mica-schist covered in just 30 centimeters of topsoil. As per cru guidelines, Vincent and Cécile age this cuvée in tank for 18 months, followed by at least six months in bottle before release, and the maximum yield allowable is 45 hectoliters per hectare. With a depth charge of somber earth-inflected minerality, La Haye Fouassiere is built for the long haul—powerfully concentrated and commanding in its intensity on the palate.