Gadais Père et Fils
The village of St-Fiacre-sur-Maine may not be the first port of call for keen Muscadet drinkers, many of whom fill their cellars with the wines of certain high-flying domaines based in Le Landreau or La Haye-Fouassière, or perhaps wines from one of the crus communaux that were ratified in 2011, in particular Clisson or Gorges. Nevertheless, this little commune is blessed with some interesting terroir and topography, sufficient for it to be included in the second round of crus communaux with its neighbour, Monnières, giving us the cru communal Monnières-St-Fiacre.
This little commune is also home to a number of significant domaines, vignerons very happy to take advantage of these gneiss-rich slopes. Some are of historical interest for the region, while others are turning out some of the best (and yet still under-appreciated) wines in the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation. One such domaine that is certainly worthy of our consideration is Gadais Père et Fils.
History
As is the case with so many of the small, family-owned domaines in the Loire Valley, the story of Gadais Père et Fils begins in the early 20th-century when it was a polycultural smallholding, one where vines were just a small part of the family’s agricultural activities. This very discrete domaine fed and clothed the family, but it did little more than that. Even so, before long it would grow into a significant Muscadet.
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