Domaine de Bellevue, 2022 Update
After tasting with Jo Landron recently, I headed over to taste with Jérôme Bretaudeau, who markets his wines under the name Domaine de Bellevue. A little younger than Jo, Jérôme has nevertheless transformed his domaine along similar lines. His story also starts with some inherited vines, but not a fully fledged domaine like that which Jo was given; what Jérôme received was just a couple of hectares in Gétigné, well away from the beaten track in Muscadet.
The Domaine
Jérôme (pictured below) studied viticulture before taking up a position as vineyard manager with Alain Gaubert, a well-known vigneron based in Vallet. He took on his family’s few rows of vines in 2001, and began building a more significant domaine. By 2005 the vineyard had grown to 6 hectares, and today he tends more than 12 hectares scattered across several communes including Gétigné of course, but also Cugand, Clisson and Vallet. These vineyards naturally feature a number of parcels of Melon de Bourgogne, but also a diverse array of other varieties, including Savagnin and Merlot (yes, really) alongside the more commonplace Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir.
More significantly, along the way Jérôme also signed up to organic viticulture, certifying in 2012, followed by a conversion to biodynamics, certifying with Biodyvin in 2020. It is a much more recent conversion than that made by Jo Landron, but surely no less significant.
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