Bonnet-Huteau, 2018 Update
Although not one of the ‘cult’ domaines of Muscadet, the wines of Bonnet-Huteau deserve consideration. The origins of this domaine seem vague, although it seems indisputable that they are ancient, their domaine at La Levraudière once home to Hoël II (c.1031 – 1084), Comte de Cornouaille, a region of Brittany established as an independent principality by migrants from Cornwall, which explains the similarity in the two names.
Today the Bonnet family are at the helm, in the shape of two brothers, Rémi and Jean-Jacques. The domaine is based in the commune of La Chapelle-Heulin (the name of which comes from the chapel built by the aforementioned Hoël II) and there are 40 hectares of vines; the size of the domaine is fairly typical. Despite its recent and ongoing resurgence in popularity, most Muscadet still sells for a song, and thus most vignerons operate a large vineyard in order to make a living. I have heard it said by a local in the know that 40 hectares is the minimum required, but that could be just one man’s opinion. These 40 hectares of vines are situated on the typical Muscadet terroirs, and were converted to organic viticulture in 2005, followed by biodynamics in 2010. Recent vintages have been challenging (to say the least) for the brothers; they lost 80% of their crop in the 2017 frost, a figure which sadly matches the 80% loss to frost and mildew in the 2016 vintage.
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