Domaine La Haute Fevrie >
Loire >
France|
The Branger family have been working at this domain for four generations and have been exploiting their vineyard with a passion not commonly seen in this appellation. Their leitmotiv is "the passion of hard work, discretion and simplicity allows us to produce this exceptional Muscadet for the joy of consumers."
Established on the slopes of Sèvre between Saint-Fiacre and Monnières, the vines benefit from the best conditions of maturation. The estate now covers 26 hectares of vineyards, all under the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Appellation. The vineyard lies on gneiss and orthogneiss with a small part on amphibolites. With its relatively old vines (35 years and older) the grapes are hand-picked, very rare in Muscadet. They use integrated farming methods, banning all chemical fertilizers in the vineyards. They employ similar painstaking methods in the cellar to produce complex and elegant wines.
"Branger makes some of (Muscadet's) best wine"
Jacqueline Friedrich.
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| Muscadet |
This domain's Muscadets are full-bodied and express the terroir they grew on. The domain is well-known for its typical Muscadet: fresh, fruity with the slightest fizz of the "sur lie" topped by a touch of citrus fruit. It goes particularly well with sea food.
Average age of the vines: 35 years
Grape-variety: Melon de Bourgogne
Harvest: Hand picking
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| Le Fief du Pagatine |
This latest cuvée from La Haute Févrie reflects Sebastien Branger’s commitment to terroir wine-making, and through his domaine’s membership in Vini Vitis a French association whose label is a garantee of sustainable agricultural practice, his engagement to eco-friendly wine-making.
The eight hectare vineyard, with a southerly exposure, is planted in 55 year-old vines on crushed amphobolite (blue-green metamorphic rock), which stocks daytime heat and releases it during the night, promoting greater grape maturity. Grass is allowed to grow between the vine rows (eliminating the need for defoliants) and yields are kept to a modest 40 hectoliters/ hectare after the vines undergo a vendange verte (green harvest).
Le Fief is raised on its lees for 12 to 14 months with batonnage in the first 4 months, conferring extra richness and texture to this cuvée.
Le Fief du Pegatine, with its ripe, rich, praline-nuanced palate and refreshing, stony finish, will confound conventional expectations by its aptitude for aging, and which over time develops hints of exotic fruits, such as kiwi, mandarin and pineapple.
This wine will pair perfectly with raw oysters and shellfish of all types, as well as white-fleshed fish.
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