Domaine Le Fay d’Homme Muscadet Terre de Gneiss 2020

Type: White
Country: France
Region: Loire Valley
Grape Variety: 100% Melon
Alcohol Percentage: 12.5%
Viticulture: Natural Wine | Biodynamic | Certified Organic

Climate: Temperate oceanic influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, with precipitation evenly spread throughout the year
Terroir: Vineyards lie on a bed of metamorphic, gneiss type rocks. Average age of vines are 60 years old
Ageing: Short pruning in the vineyard, work of the soil and vines in accordance to the rules of organic and biodynamic agriculture. Juice is settled with gravity followed by fermentation for 21 days with indigenous yeasts. The wine is then aged for 9-month on the lees in an egg-shaped concrete tank. Bottled at the end of June and aged for another seven months in the bottle before release

Color: Light yellow / gold
Nose: Earthy on the nose, with interesting minerality expressive of the Melon grape
Palate: Beautiful palate of pear, apples, lime over a gently rich mineral profile. Complex length

Special Features: A special collaboration with Christelle Guibert, CEO of the International Wine & Spirit Competition and ex-Tasting Director at Decanter.
Inspired and motivated by the derelict vineyards in the Muscadet region, Christelle teamed up with Vincent Caille of Domaine Le Fay d’Homme with the aim of reviving the vines and reputation in the region. Her wine is solely based on vines planted way back in 1954 on gneiss made biodynamically. Only a handful of bottles are produced each year.
“When I started this venture with Vincent Caillé, one of my goals was to show people that you can produce a serious Muscadet with attention to detail and time in the vineyard.” – Christelle Guibert

About the Winery:
In the heart of the appellation Muscadet Sevre et Maine, at le Fay d’Homme near Monnières, the Caillé family have been winegrowers for 5 generations. Vincent Caillé, who took over the family vineyard in 1986, is part of a new generation of wine-growers who decided to pursue a policy of uncompromising quality. With great passion, he produces Muscadet Sevre et Maine of high expression on different type of soils (gneiss, gabbro and orthogneiss).

Grown organically since 1996, the vines blossom on living soils that have recovered their wild tulips, a protected species affected for a long time by chemical treatments in the region. Vincent Caillé is one of the few winegrowers from Nantes who produces organic Muscadet – an exceptional feat due to the oceanic climate and the propensity of Melon to welcome mildew. In the cellar, he vinifies his wines in the traditional way with indigenous yeast and long ageing on lees.