If you placed a pin at a central point close to their winery in Le Pallet, you could take a 5 minute cycle from each one of the Complemen’Terre vineyards to the next. For the plots that yield La Croix Moriceau and Ker Ma you head five hundred metres to the north. For the plot that yields Tribute, just roll five hundred metres in the opposite direction: south towards the river. We spoke to Manu on Nouveau Day, to discuss the differences between each of the cuvees we recently received.
Read moreSunshine, seafood.. sorted
Complemen'terre
France, Nantes, Muscadet
Both Marion and Manu were born in Muscadet and have been around vineyards their whole lives. After a long time away working for winemakers in New Zealand (Felton Road Winery) and Chile (Domaine Clos Ouvert), they settled in 2013 in the village of le Pallet and work now with three grape varieties: Melon de Bourgogne (eight hectares), Folle Blanche (0.68ha) at la Haye-Fouassière, and Gamay (0.60ha). The wines are all vinified by parcel with the aim of showing off the varied volcanic terroir of the region.
Marion and Manu work organically and in line with the lunar calendar, in total respect of the soils and the nature.
Their 2018 and 2019 whites have just landed - perfect with some sunshine and oysters!
We've had a quick chat:
"The 2019 68 Ares is 100% Folle Blanche, a really aromatic grape which matures late and a variety we've got very little of in the vineyard, exactly 68 ares (0.7ha) on orthogneiss. So being able to produce this cuvée is sort of revolutionary for us! We have replanted some of the vines recently as they were in a bad spot where they were really sensitive to frost. With this change we expect to be able to be a lot more productive in about three years time.
"Direct press, fermentation in tank. Racked once and unfiltered. It then finishes off in the bottle for about five to six months. The cuvée is perfect with seafood as it is citrusy with a hint of acidity, so gives a fresh punch to balance out the flavours.
"The 2019 La Croix Moriceau is 100% Melon de Bourgogne and is planted on deep soil of limon and sand and is also ripening rather slowly. This wine makes up a third of our whole production. As with all our other wines, this cuvée has been harvested by hand and directly pressed. Fermentation on lees for six to seven months. Unfiltered. Expect a fruity and round cuvée with a bit of gas, which will get rounder with time. Generally it is an easy-drinking wine with low acidity.
"As for the 2018 cuvées, it was a year when we've had a huge harvest. Crop of very good quality with barely any damage. The 2018 Le Breil is aged on lees for 17 months in stainless steel. The 2018 Nolem fermented in barrels for 10 months. Both are unfiltered.
"This year we are already looking at an earlier harvest, we will be starting around the 20th of August, so three weeks earlier than usual. Due to the warmer weather the crops are maturing more quickly. Flowering started end of March, which means harvest is 100 days later. Fingers crossed we will have good results!"
Now in Stock
WHITE
NEW 2019 (VDF) 68 Ares - Folle Blanche
NEW 2019 (AOC Muscadet) La Croix Moriceau - Melon B
2018 (AOC Muscadet ) Le Breil - Melon B
2018 (AOC Muscadet) Nolem - Melon B
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A Happy New 2020
We would like to wish a very happy new year to all of our customers.
Wines Under The Bonnet was created in 2015 with the idea to promote naturally made wines we love and we wouldn't still be here if it wasn't for your support.
2019 has been a crazy and exciting ride for us: we have welcomed Tom to the team, Basile has relocated back to his hometown in France and is now our on site connection to our Muscadet growers, and - last but not least - we have added six new producers to our portfolio:
Ferme de Sept Lunes
Mataburro
2P Production
La Grange Aux Belles
Complemen'terre
Terres de ROA
We've got some very exciting plans for 2020, so watch this space!
Cheers and santé,
Bas, Al & Tom
A Chat with Complemen'terre
Manuel Landron and Marion Pescheux
Complemen'terre
Le Pallet, Loire-Atlantique, France
We have been following the wines of Marion Pescheux and Manuel Landron for the last couple of years. Due to a few tricky vintages they haven’t had any wine available for us until now.
Manuel Landron is the son of Jo Landron (and cousin of Benoit). His dad travels a lot to promote his wines. However, Manu wants to keep things simple and has a very hands on approach in the vineyard.
Both Marion and Manu were born in Muscadet and have been around vineyards their whole lives. After a long time away working for winemakers in New Zealand (Felton Road Winery) and Chile (Domaine Clos Ouvert), they settled in 2013 in the village of le Pallet and work now with three grape varieties: Melon de Bourgogne (8 ha), Folle Blanche (0,68 ha) at la Haye-Fouassière, and Gamay (0,60 ha). The wines are all vinified by parcel with the aim of showing off the varied volcanic terroir of the region.
Marion and Manu are working organically and in line with the lunar calendar, in total respect of the soils and the nature.
Tell us about your 2018 harvest: What were your challenges?
2018 was really hard because we had to fight a lot against mildew. But we did it: ‘Marion & Manu 1 - Mildew 0'. In the cellar however the vinification was hard. The fermentation was very slow, with not enough acidity in the juice and large yields 48 hectolitres / hectare: ‘Wine 1 - Marion and Manu 0’
What went particularly well?
We were very happy with the wine in the end! There was also a good yield compared to previous vintages.
What do you anticipate for the 2019 harvest?
A late harvest, the grapes are just starting out right now. Plus, we are moving cellar during the summer.
What are the biggest changes you've seen in winemaking since you got started?
We filter our wine less. In 2016/17 we had no filtration at all. Also, we are finding less and less acidity in the juice every year. We are questioning ourselves constantly with, for example, the harvest date. The more you wait, the sweeter the wine gets, so you need to be careful to get the acidity levels right.
What do you like most/ least about your job?
We love pruning, because it’s quiet and relaxing, you are alone in the vineyard. On the other hand we like the harvest time too, because it's social with a lot of people around and there are lots of festivities.
What can you tell us about your future plans?
We want to get more into polyculture. We now have 5 beehives and would like to get some cows and sheep, too. We are also going to plant about 50 apple and pear trees around the vines.