Michel Redde: Vineyards
Today the vineyards of Michel Redde cover more than 42 hectares, and they are planted with Sauvignon Blanc and Chasselas, varieties eligible for the Pouilly-Fumé and little-known Pouilly-sur-Loire appellations respectively. The former variety dominates greatly, Chasselas accounting for just 1.5 hectares of this vineyard.
The terroirs of Pouilly-Fumé mirror those of Sancerre, in that there is predominantly limestone, especially Kimmeridgian marl, fossil-rich limestone mixed with clay (also known as terres blanches), Oxfordian limestone (known as caillottes) and of course there is flint. The only major difference is that in Pouilly-Fumé as well as Oxfordian limestone caillottes there is also later Portlandian (or Tithonian if you prefer) limestone. The Redde vineyards feature all of these classic soil types. Notable sites include Les Bois de Saint-Andélain, a slope of Cretaceous flint in Saint-Andélain which is the highest vineyard in the appellation, Les Cornets which features Kimmeridgian marl, near an ancient Roman way in Pouilly-sur-Loire, and Les Champs des Billons which is on Portlandian limestone in Tracy-sur-Loire. All three of these sites are represented by a trio of single-site cuvées, longstanding members of the portfolio. In more recent years a fourth parcel, Les Toupées, has joined them.
