Domaine de la Sénéchalière: Vineyards
The Domaine de la Sénéchalière is located 15 kilometres east of Nantes, on the Route de Goulaine, close to the junction between D104 and D115, and just a couple of kilometres north of the Butte de la Roche. There are vineyards aplenty here, although as my introduction indicated you do not have to look far before you come across allotments filled with row-upon-row of cabbages, asparagus and other vegetables, usually augmented by a polytunnel or two, and perhaps a few fruit trees. Nearby there is more intensive farming, fields that spend much of the year covered in huge sheets of green or white plastic laid down to protect the young crops from pests, and to warm the soils and increase yields.
Among this agricultural melange Marc Pesnot tells me he has 18 hectares of vines to his name, predominantly Melon de Bourgogne although he also has Folle Blanche and the little-known red variety Abouriou planted. Many of his vines are towards the north of the domaine, sitting on the slopes that run down to the Loire, which lies only a kilometre or two away. The soils are generally schistose, although there are also slopes of shale and pebbles. This to me seems to be the most significant aspect of this site’s terroir, but speaking to Marc he also cites the nearby water as being important influences on his wine. By this he means not just the Loire – an impressive and broad river here, which can flood the more low lying lands which are known as the marais de Goulaine (the Goulaine marshes) – but also the Atlantic, which is of course not that far west of here.
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