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Domaine de Montgilet

This domaine, almost certainly the leader in the appellation of Coteaux de l'Aubance, dates back to 1880. It had already been in existence several decades, and boasted 1.5 hectares of vines, when Victor Lebreton took control in the early 20th Century. Since then the estate has passed through the hands first of his son, also Victor, and then to the next generation, the third Victor and his brother Vincent.

Today the domaine is somewhat larger than it was a century ago when the original Victor Lebreton was in charge; there are now 37 hectares of vines, of which one-third is planted to Chenin Blanc, one-third to Cabernet Franc, and the rest to a melange of other Loire varieties, including Grolleau, Gamay and Sauvignon Blanc. The soils are largely schistous, this being a fairly common soil type around Juigné-sur-Loire near Angers, where the domaine is situated. With such ancient vineyards it is hardly surprising that there should be a healthy proportion of old vines, with some over 90 years of age. The work in the vineyard is very reasoned, with weed-control achieved by working the soil and planting cover crops between the rows. Yields are controlled by pruning, down to six buds in the case of the Aubance vines, and vineyard treatments follow the principles of lutte raisonnée. There is a green harvest in mid-July, again keeping yields under control, and two periods of leaf-stripping, the first immediately after flowering in spring, the second in late summer or autumn, as the fruit is ripening, to improve ventilation and thus lessen the chance of rot. Eventually the fruit is harvested, by hand, in up to five tries, usually finishing up in late November. In the winery, after pressing and settling, the wines are fermented in stainless steel cuve or in barrel, depending on the cuvée.

It is the five cuvées of Coteaux de l'Aubance which perhaps draw most attention here; they are differentiated not only by the vineyard of origin but also by the residual sugar. This section of the portfolio opens with the Cuvée Générique, and then in order of increasing sweetness they are Les Trois Schistes, Le Tertereaux, Le Clos des Huttiéres and Le Clos Prieur. The last of these, Clos Prieur, is produced from the early pickings from a parcel of vines in the commune of Mozé-sur-Louet planted in 1991; the soils are silty clay, over a mix of shale-like and purple schists. The fruit must have an alcoholic potential greater than 20% to qualify; after a slow and gentle pressing the juice is allowed to settle and clear, without enzymes, before fermentation en barrique. There is no chaptalisation, although there is no aversion to using added yeast.

The Clos des Huttiéres cuvée is distinguished from the Clos Prieur by its origin; this is a distinct vineyard with a different terroir, here the silty clay is mixed with grey and other schists. Otherwise this cuvée is produced in much the same manner, using the fruit from the best tries, which again must have a potential of over 20%. Le Tertereaux comes from the blue schist that dominates the domaine, whereas Les Trois Schistes is a blend of fruit from all three of the Montgilet terroirs. This latter cuvée is based on fruit with a potential alcohol of at least 17%, and is fermented and matured in barrique before bottling. Finally, the entry-level is the aforementioned Cuvée Générique, a demi-sec which absorbs the lesser tries, although the fruit must have a minimum potential of 13.5% to qualify. This cuvée is fermented 50% en cuve and 50% en barrique.

Alongside these sweet specialties, however, there are also numerous cuvées of dry white and red wines, including those from the Anjou-Villages and Anjou-Villages Brissac appellations, the latter of which allows for wines made from red wines harvested within the ten communes of the Coteaux de l'Aubance. The fruit for these wines arises from vineyards with blue schist soils, the most common soil-type on the domaine. The reds see a traditional thermo-regulated fermentation in stainless steel, before élevage in vats of sandstone and cement, although the Cuvée Barrique spends up to nine months in oak. There is also an Anjou Gamay, which is fermented using carbonic maceration. The blue schist vineyards are also largely the source of Montgilet's Aubance cuvées, as discussed above, as well as the Anjou Blanc, Rosé de Loire and a number of vin de pays cuvées among other wines.

Tasting across the Montgilet portfolio certainly hammers home the broad spread of styles produced here. It is tempting to say that although the wines are interesting, none really excel. This would, however, be a little unfair I feel. Yes, they are wines here that the discerning buyer can overlook, but there are also some very enticing cuvées which will provide very satisfying drinking. The red and white Anjou cuvées certainly fall into this category. On the next rung of the quality ladder are the Coteaux de l'Aubance cuvées, and these are certainly fascinating to taste and drink. And as I wrote at the very top of this profile, in this arena the Lebretons of Montgilet are leaders of the pack. (4/8/09)

Contact details:
Address: 49610 Juigné-sur-Loire
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 41 91 90 488
Fax: +33 (0) 2 41 54 64 25
Internet: www.montgilet.com

Domaine de Montgilet - Tasting Notes

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Domaine de Montgilet Sauvignon Blanc (VdP de Val de Loire) 2008: This wine, still a little cloudy, has a lovely, vibrant, pungent fruit nose. The palate is attractive, fairly soft although with a little backbone and grip coming through, a touch peppery and spicy too. Bright and vivacious, pungently flavoured. For vin de pays Sauvignon I think this is very good indeed. 16/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Rosé de Loire 2008: Rosé wines from the Anjou region are entitled to this appellation. Only bottled last week, this wine has a fresh, bright, leafy-strawberry character on the nose, with a plump and rounded style on the palate. It is soft, pretty, rather feminine with a diffuse, soft-focus style. Its main point of interest is a nice, lightly mineral finish. Overall, this is a pleasant, simple, drinkable wine. 14/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Gamay 2008: A good clean hue on inspection, and some depth of colour. Bright fruit, there is a really attractive style here. The palate has a juicy substance but with depth and concentration, and a smoothly polished style. A richer midpalate, with a little grip, this has good freshness and even a minerally element. Good. 15/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Rouge 2008: This vintage is 70% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. There is a nice freshness of fruit on the nose, harmonious, with a stony-sweet red fruit character. The style on the palate is balanced, fine, fresh, with a nice juicy element to the fruit. Underneath good, ripe, juicy tannins with fresh acidity and quite some grip coming in at the end. All nicely put together, and a good style. 16-16.5+/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Cuvée Générique 2008: This has attractive pear fruit on the nose, followed by a soft and supple palate. Rounded, gentle, quite light, with flower petal character. This has some potential, and shows some grip on the finish, but looking at the whole picture it is rather light and I don't think it will ever be a great wine. 14+/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Blanc 2007: This wine has a more expressive nose than the 2006 (note below), showing more minerality, and a little more straw. Nevertheless it shows a lighter style on the palate, fresh and gently mineral. The aromatics are nice but there is much less in terms of substance on the palate. A decent drinker, though. 15/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Grolleau (VdP de Val de Loire) 2007: Rather smoky on the nose, with notes of cooked strawberry. The palate is soft and diffuse, lacking grip, with a top-heavy, oily character. There is acidity here but it seems detached - perhaps just overwhelmed. Lacks backbone. 13/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou-Villages Brissac 2007: This cuvée, which is mostly Cabernet Franc, has an attractive if rather light, strawberry and pepper nose. The palate is also light, but elegant and fresh, a touch stony even. There is more texture in the midpalate but it certainly has a softer impact than other wines. Some decent grip though. I also suspect the aromatics may develop more with time. 14.5+/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Les Trois Schistes 2007: A great nose here, honey and botrytis fruit to the fore. The palate is moderately fat, with soft acidity. and it is packed with orange blossom fruit. Very attractive, clean and well made; overall, a very good wine. 16.5/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Blanc 2006: This cuvée, which sees seven months in barrel, has an attractive nose, with just a little touch of honey and straw. It seems quite soft at the very front of the palate, then it develops some midpalate grip, moving from a diffuse beginning to a tighter, more grippy style. Nice dry grip at the finish. Good 15.5/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Rouge 2006: This is declassified Anjou-Villages, the wine demoted by appellation tasting committee who criticised it for being too light and having atypical aromas. It is 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is really attractive, full of violets and stony minerals; who cares if this is atypical - it's beautiful. Fine and subtle integration on the palate, lovely style of fruit, fresh, with a good tannic grip. There is still more potential in this wine. 16+/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance 2006: The home of Vincent and Victor Lebreton. This wine has a translucent, shimmering golden hue. The nose starts off in a gentle fashion, with honey and rosewater, thyme and herbal tea, dancing a light-footed jig, before revealing deeper nuances of smoke, citrus fruit and quince. Fresh and well defined on the palate, full of acidity, light and tender, with a supple palate. That streak of thyme is quite persistent. There is a little flourish of honey at the finish, but overall a very bright and breezy style. Good. 16.5+/20 (August 2007)

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Les Trois Schistes 2006: This is a blend of wine from across the three main terroirs of Montgilet, namely the Clos Prieur (purple schist), Clos des Huttiéres (grey schist) and other Aubance vineyards which are characterised by blue schist (hence les trois schistes). The wine has a good, rich, shimmering golden hue in the glass. The nose is straightforward but certainly admirable, especially considering that this is just one step up from the Lebretons' entry-level cuvée, the Cuvée Générique. Oranges and marmalade dominate. On the palate it has great vibrancy and a gentle texture, somewhat talcy and rich, but with fresh acidity. There is a lot of intriguing substance here, as it is grippy and firm alongside the sweetness, with good flavours too. Good length. Not complex, but certainly all the necessary components are here, and this will evolve nicely in the cellar over the next 8-10 years. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 16.5+/20 (November 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Clos Prieur 2005: This supreme example of Coteaux de l'Aubance has 250 g/l of residual sugar; the nose reflects this, being rich in barley sugar character. The palate is lovely, ethereal at first, then more fat with candied fruits, quince and honey. There is a gentle midpalate substance, and an admirable finesse at the finish. It is softly textured, and the finish quickly fades, but overall this is very good indeed. 17+/20 (February 2009)

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou-Villages Brissac Cuvée Yvonnais 2002: This is pure Cabernet Franc which has spent 12 months en barrique. Open, aromatic and attractive, with the pretty aroma of sweet violets. A supple palate, still rather a firm tannic backbone, with soft fruit laid over the top. Nicely textured; with food this could be very appealing. 16.5/20 (February 2009)