Domaine de la Combe, 2020 Update
It was only last year that I first tasted the wines of Domaine de la Combe. That’s not that surprising, this being a new domaine which has only just sprung into life. The name behind it might be more familiar though; this is the domaine of Pierre-Henri Gadais, the son of Christophe Gadais, of Gadais Père et Fils. Which makes him, if you’re interested, a descendant of the Bourgeois family of Sancerre, Christophe having married into this family.
The vines were once the property of Nelly Marzelleau, and the domaine was previously known as Les Grands Presbytères. Nelly worked her first vintage on the domaine, which was her father’s, in the mid-1980s, and ultimately she took over its running. After a decade or two, however, Nelly found it too difficult to balance raising her children with the work demanded by the vineyard, and as a consequence she sought help in the running of the domaine. It was in 2009 that she entered into an agreement with the Christophe Gadais, and today the Marzelleau vines are under the complete control of the Gadais family.
The Wines
I tasted the current and forthcoming releases with Christophe Gadais, Pierre-Henri being a tad busy after the birth of a baby, a new addition to the clan. We started with the 2019 vintage, the first year of conversion to organic viticulture for these vineyards. This was a dramatic harvest, says Christophe, with rapid ripening and concentration. “When we began, the potential alcohol was just 11.5%, but by the time we had finished it had already climbed to 13%”.
