Chéreau-Carré, 2019 Update
The Chéreau family have been present in the Muscadet region since 1412. Having said that, they did not take to viticulture until the middle of the 20th century, following World War II. It was a man named Bernard Chéreau that started it; he took over a few vines already in the family’s possession, although he soon acquired more. Before long the domaine grew into what we see here today, starting with the purchase of Château de Chasseloir in 1953, followed by Château l’Oiselinière, which Bernard acquired when he married Edmonde Carré. The business was duly renamed Chéreau-Carré, based at Château de Chasseloir, and in 1982 their son – also named Bernard – joined the team. Today Bernard runs this Muscadet mini-empire with the help of his daughter, Louise.
While many Muscadet fans chase the wines of cult domaines, and in most cases rightly so (who would refuse a glass from the likes of Domaine de la Pépière, Luneau-Papin or the like?) I would urge open-minded drinkers to check out the wines of Chéreau-Carré. The domaine does not have cult status, but the quality of what is in the glass obviates any such superficial concerns. Having had many encounters with the wines of this domaine, whether over dinner in Nantes, drinking at home in Scotland, or at a tasting get-together with Bernard and Louise, I have been consistently impressed by the wines. This is particularly true to the wines as they age, as it seems to me that, as a rule, they tend to head down the more reductive, dried-fruit style of aged Muscadet rather than the more nutty oxidative character that can be found in some older examples.
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