Domaine Brégeon ‘Gorges’ Muscadet-Sevré-et-Maine Blanc 2018
Location: France, Loire, Muscadet-Sevré-et-Maine, Gorges
Winemaker: Fred Lailler
Grapes: Melon de Bourgogne
Soil: Gabbro (Gabbro is old, blueish-green, igneous rock, rarely found in vineyard land. Formed by magma solidified deep inside the Earth's crust)
Winemaking: Malolactic fermentation sometimes occurs spontaneously, but usually does not take place. Aged on the lees in underground, glass-lined cuves until bottling. Ages for a minimum 2 years on the lees, soil type must be Gabbro, vines must be more than 7 years old, and yields can be a maximum of 45 hl/ha.
From the Importer Kermit Lynch: ‘Gorges’ is a bottling representing the realization of Michel Brégeon’s lifelong dream to elevate the wine of Muscadet to a loftier status than a simple oyster sipper. He was blessed with the appellation’s greatest terroir, the metamorphic ocean bedrock known locally as gabbro, and has consistently observed over time a remarkable aging potential in his wines that rivals any other white from France. Now, finally, as the appellations are being created to valorize the region’s best terroirs (in this case, Gorges), Michel is able to sell a tiny proportion of his production in the best years at its true worth. This wine can be decanted and enjoyed now or aged for ten years or more for a truly exceptional Melon de Bourgogne experience.
Founded by Michel Brégeon and run today by Fred Lailler, this historic domaine helped to redefine Muscadet as we know it thanks to Michel's crusading efforts throughout his career. Over the years, he became an ardent defender of the Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine terroir, the most highly regarded of the seven appellations in the Pays Nantais. Thanks to his deep understanding of the nuances of the land, he played the game much differently than the region’s caves cooperatives and négociants, whose tendency to mass-produce threatened to destroy the appellation's reputation. For seven years, Michel worked for his family’s domaine before setting out on his own in 1975. When his father retired in 1989, he gave his remaining vineyard land to Michel. Today, the domaine comprises 8.5 hectares of vineyards in clay, silica, and gabbro soils. Gabbro is old, blueish-green, igneous rock, rarely found in vineyard land. Formed by magma solidified deep inside the Earth's crust, it is said to impart complexity, length, and intense minerality to the domaine’s wines. This corner of the Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine, Gorges, is particularly known for this soil, and all of the domaine's vines are planted in it. Gorges was among the first crus of the Sèvre-et-Maine appellation to be recognized in 2011.
Though Muscadet (made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape) has been commonly known to produce young, fresh wines, (even those that spend a few months sur lie), Michel broke the mold, keeping some of his wines on the lees for as much as seven years! These wines are aged in subterranean glass-lined cuves, as local tradition dictates, and while they always drink well upon release, they have a proven track record of aging. The unexpected freshness and depth of these older wines has silenced many a skeptic. Tastings at the domaine of bottled vintages spanning twenty years are the stuff of KLWM lore. An older wine from Brégeon has similarities to aged Chablis, gaining in weight while developing an earthy, mineral bouquet of surprising complexity.
Our collaboration with the domaine is one of the longest-running of our portfolio, dating back to 1979. Though Michel retired after the 2010 vintage, the domaine’s legacy lives on with the young vigneron, and Muscadet native, Fred Lailler. Since taking over from Michel, Fred has continued the Brégeon ethic of producing serious, terroir-driven Muscadet of great complexity and aging potential. He has even completed an organic conversion for the domaine's vineyards—a rare feat in a region still dominated by high-yielding, intensive viticulture. Tasting a Muscadet from Domaine Brégeon is enough to convince anyone of the caliber of a terroir like Gorges, and proof that the region is capable of much more than the simple quaffer.