Jérémie Mourat, 2018 Update
One of the superstars of the Fiefs Vendéens appellation, and also one half of the duo behind the highly regarded Les Bêtes Curieuses label in the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation, Jérémie Mourat is always worth a tasting detour. He began working alongside his father back in 1999, taking control of the family’s rather diminutive vineyard. As is the case for many dedicated vignerons in the Nantais, since he took control of the domaine it has expanded greatly. The Mourat family acquired Château Marie du Fou in 2000, followed by Clos Saint-André in 2006, and finally Moulin Blanc in 2010.
Today Jérémie (pictured) produces a broad range of wines from these domaines, some in large volumes for unfussy drinking, while others are rather more eclectic and interesting. Among the latter group there are some exceptionally delicious whites and curiously characterful reds from a selection of unusual varieties. In the former category the white wine from Clos-Saint-André, a blend of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay, from young vines planted by Jérémie, has particular appeal. And while Jérémie’s various Pinot Noir cuvées are always worth tasting, the most noteworthy red is often La Grenouillère, which is 100% Négrette, a rarely encountered variety from which seems to have found a happy second home in the Fiefs Vendéens.
The Wines
I tasted a broad range of white, rosé and red wines with Jérémie, with a strong focus on the 2017 vintage, with less than a handful of wines from preceding years. Among the whites, the wines showed a reliable low-key appeal, and it was with the 2017 Clos Saint-André (not reported on here, my note included in my 2017 Nantais report) and the 2015 Clos Saint-André that things really became interesting. The 2015 showed a charming combination of ripe fruit character, the nose and palate dominated by scents of peach and apricot fruit, with a salty lift, combining the character of the variety with the minerally and savoury character of the region, in my mind the raison d’être of the Fiefs Vendéens.
