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Domaine de la Fessardière began under the guidance of vigneron Michel Sauvion. Fast forward to 2014 and Michel’s world collided with Jérôme and Emeline – a young couple looking for vineyards and a place to make wine in-and-around Nantes. Michel showed them his estate, the work he’d been doing organically (since 1997), and the couple fell in love with the project, eventually taking it over and continuing his work crafting beautifully expressive Muscadet wines.
Both Emeline and Jérôme are trained agronomists. Whilst Jérôme came to the project with 10 years working across France, as well as overseas, Emeline had worked with a series of NGOS and farm management consultancies. They were a formidable duo to take over from Michel, and today, you can find Jérôme focusing on the vines and the cellar and Emeline managing the business element of their young project.
The Fessardière estate is nestled in the western reaches of the Loire Valley – in the commune of Vallet – considered the heartland of Muscadet. Situated just one hour from the Atlantic Ocean, the terroir here is awash with light, stony, clayey-siliceous, schists and shallow soils on undulating slopes. The predominant grape variety is Melon de Bourgogne, with a small amount of Folle Blanche also planted. Emeline and Jérôme have continued to work organically with practices, such as ploughing and cover crops for better and healthy soils.
These wines dance a beautiful line between precision and depth; they are unmistakably Muscadet with their crystalline purity but are then supported by this moreish body and lingering power. Grapes are all harvested by hand, go through fermentation with indigenous yeasts and are fermented and aged in a mixture of old oak, underground tanks and, of course, a healthy dose of lees ageing.
Grape variety: 100% Melon de Bourgogne Average Age of Vines: 35 Years Vineyard/ Plot Name: La Fossardiere, Puy Jahail Terroir: Schists Soils Vineyard Surface Area: 15ha Exposition: North & South Vinification: Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel with natural yeasts Ageing: 9-12 Months on lees, 50% in large oak foudre, 50% in underground tanks Organic: Certified Organic
