Marc Pesnot
Marc Pesnot farms 13 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. Now he is very happy to work with what he considers a noble grape. Early on Marc decided the he would not pursue the muscadet appellation for any of his wines and be known simply by the quality of his wines part from the industrial stigma of the region.
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
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— Back to the top
Varieties: Melon de Bourgogne
Yields: 35hl/ha
Age of Vines: 50-80 years old
Soil: Schist
Vinification Notes: Grapes are harvested by hand at their maximum ripeness and destemmed. The fruit undergoes a slow manual pressing, and the wine rests on the lees in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for at least nine months.
Nuitage— Back to the top
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.