Marc Pesnot


Marc Pesnot farms 22 hectares of fifty year-old Melon de Bourgogne (the variety used to make all Muscadet wines) vines near the city of Nantes. In the beginning of Marc’s winemaking career, he spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how he could plant and work with some grapes of better and more interesting quality than his humble and native Melon. After much tinkering with different amounts of skin contact and other natural processes, he finally realized that he didn’t need any other grapes; that it was just the shoddy industrial work rampant in the region that was diluting the quality of his neighbors wines.
 
Marc was always searching for the perfume from the melon de bourgogne grapes. The juice itself he describes as not particularly aromatic, but after years of tinkering, he has discovered that very complex aromas live in the cellular structure underneath the skin. By working with a very sophisticated press that allows him to calibrate for a very gentle and slow pressure, Marc has been able to access these cellular areas, to release the natural perfume the grape has to offer. Now he is very happy to work with what he considers a noble grape.
 
Early on Marc decided he would not pursue the muscadet appellation for any of his wines and be known simply by the quality of his wines, apart from the industrial stigma of the region. In fact the appellation is one of the more restrictive in France. If one chooses to allow malolactic fermentation, as Marc does in all his wines, one is almost assured to be denied the appellation. The appellation also carries a bizarre, minimum restriction of yield that is quite high, thus almost mandating that the wine produced be one of lower quality and blander taste. 
 
His old vines thrive in a schist soil that lends them a profound persistence and depth of minerality that is nearly unheard of for Muscadet. As a result of this unique terroir, terrific southern exposure and Marc’s organic farming methods these wines can age gracefully for up to five years. His wines are complex and work well with a variety of dishes, and are always a pleasure to drink.
 
 
 

Certification: Practicing Organic, becoming Certified Organic/biodynamic.

Chapeau Melon VdT: NV— Back to the top

Pesnot Chapeau Melon tech sheet

Age of Vines: 50 Years

Yields: 40 hl/ha 4,000 bottles

Pruning Method: Guyot

Soil: Schist

Varieties: 100% Melon de Bourgogne (The variety used to make all Muscadet wines)

Vinification Method: Grapes are harvested by hand at their maximum ripeness and destemmed. The fruit undergoes a slow manual pressing and the wine rests on lees in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks before it is bottled without any sulfites. Chapeau Melon is an early bottling, where Marc allows the wine to retain its natural sparkle. This is a pure and natural expression of old vines Burgundy Melon, and the Schist terroir they thrive in.

Tasting Note: Pale straw in the glass with tiny bubbles. The nose carries loads of blooming white flowers, pear flesh, green apple skins and pounded stones. The palate is buoyant with a slight frizzante and redolent with creamy white fruit flavors boosted by succulent minerality and a dash of vibrant acidity.

Pairing: Works beautifully with shellfish, grilled chicken, hearty garden salads or simply by itself.

La Bohême VdT:— Back to the top

Pesnot La Bohême tech sheet

Age of Vines: 50 Years

Yields: 40 hl/ha 3,000 bottles

Pruning Method: Guyot

Soil: Schist

Varieties: 100% Melon de Bourgogne (the variety used to make all Muscadet wines)

Vinification Method: Grapes are harvested by hand at their maximum ripeness and destemmed. The fruit undergoes a slow manual pressingand& the wine rests on lees in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for at least nine months. This is a pure and natural expression of old vines Burgundy Melon, the Schist terroir they thrive in.

Tasting Note: Cloudy straw in the glass with pretty notes of white flowers, pear, green apple and pounded stones. The palate is broad and creamy with elegant white fruit flavors boosted by succulent mineralogy, and a creamy dash of vibrant acidity.

Pairing: Works beautifully with shellfish, grilled chicken & fish, hearty garden salads or simply by itself.

La Folle Blanche— Back to the top

The Folle blanche grape that is typically used to make Cognac, has very thin skin and problems reaching optimum ripeness. The AOC authorizes 78 hl/ha and 300kg/ha of sugar added, so most producers will not wait for this optimum natural ripeness, however, Marc Pesnot harvests his grapes when they are ripe by lowering the yields.

Age of Vines: 60-80 years old

Yields: 35hl/ha

Soil: Schist

Varieties: Folle Blanche (also known as Gros Plant)

Tasting Notes: Pretty aromas of preserved lemons.

Pairing: Works beautifully with shellfish, grilled chicken, fish, hearty garden salads or simply by itself.

Miss Terre Micaschiste— Back to the topPesnot-Miss-Terre-2011

Miss Terre is Marc’s top-range wine, made from his oldest vines of Melon. The vineyards grow on a whole array of terroirs (8 different kinds of soils); he previously blended them all together into one cuvée, but decided to showcase their nuances by vinifying and bottling each of the different soils separately, since 2019. “This has always been a gastronomical wine. As the food in good restaurants has become lighter, finer, more filigree, I felt that my wine should reflect that and offer a similar amount of details and nuance,” Marc explains.

Varieties: Melon de Bourgogne

Vineyard: 50-80 years old vines on mica-schist, farmed organically by Marc and his team.

Making of: Grapes are harvested by hand at their maximum ripeness and destemmed. The fruit undergoes a very slow and gentle pressing, and the wine rests on the lees in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for 12 months. Bottled unfined, with a bit of sulfur and a light filtration through terre diatomé.

Personality: bright and electric – it has the typical drinkability of Melon, but also an extra depth of the old vines. Great ageing potential – as the winemaker says, a 10yo Miss Terre is perfect!

Nuitage— Back to the topPesnot-Nuitage-2014

Nuitage tech sheet

Varieties: Melon de Bourgogne 

Yields: 35hl/ha

Age of Vines: 30-40 years old

Soil: Schist

Vinification Notes: Grapes are harvested by hand at their maximum ripeness. The grapes spend 18 hours as whole bunches under carbonic gas, which imparts a subtle amount of skin contact to the wine. The fruit undergoes a slow manual pressing and the wine rests on lees in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for at least nine months.

Coeur de Raisin— Back to the top

Grapes: Melon de Bourgogne

Vineyard: young vines on schist (under 10yo)

Making of: Grapes are harvested and sorted by hand. The fruit undergoes a slow manual pressing (12-18 hours) in order to extract the maximum aromas from the skins. The wine then ferments spontaneously, without any additions. After 2 months of rest in tanks, the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, with a small addition of sulfur.

Personality: a « primeur » style of wine, showcasing Melon’s fresh fruity side, thanks to the short aging. A beautiful thirst-quencher!