Domaine de la Foliette
The gently rolling and occasionally craggy landscape of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation is rich, I think, in undiscovered gems. Even after the collapse that followed the devastating frost of 2008, which saw some vignerons in this region teeter towards bankruptcy and throw in the towel, there remains more than 8,000 hectares of actively tended vineyards here. That is a lot of Melon de Bourgogne.
Of course, the fruit from many of these vineyards will be destined for the cellars of the various négociants which service the region, the grapes harvested by machine and sold at a rock-bottom price. We can safely ignore these domaines; while a commercially significant part of the Muscadet scene, this is never going to be of interest to those looking for wine of quality. But this still leaves a lot of rarely-visited domaines, vignerons never met, and wines which remain untasted.
One marker of a visit-worthy domaine might well be engagement in the new cru communal system. At Domaine de la Foliette, in La Haye-Fouassière, Denis Brosseau (pictured above) and his associates have grabbed the new cru communal bull by both horns. Alongside an interesting range of wines, they also turn out a prototype cru communal cuvée; they are one of perhaps a dozen domaines in this commune, their number including Jo Landron, of course, to do so.
Please log in to continue reading: