Les Chants Jumeaux
Winemaker
Chloélie Cholot-Louis & Mathieu L’Hotelier
TYPE OF AGRICULTURE
Organic uncertified
VINEYARD AREA
2 ha
Country, Region, Subregion
First making wine in an isolated shed with a loose-straw floor (or on occasion, a borrowed beach) Matthieu L'Hotelier's unique approach has been an inspiration since the earliest days of Under The Bonnet.
Matt set up shop in 2012, leasing 1.8 hectares of Chenin and 0.3 hectares of Gamay, Grolleau and Hybrid 54-55. Situated in Montrelais, in a maritime climate, the "village" used to have around 300 hectares under vine, now only 2.5 remain -- and Matt has farmed most of them since.
Joined in the project by his partner Chloélie Cholot-Louis in 2020, and purchasing a 17th-century farm together in the summer of 2022, Les Chants Jumeaux has begun to go from strength to strength. It's a turn of events that thrills us to no end.
The vines are ploughed and treated without synthetic products, using local plant concoctions instead.
The approach in the winery is similar, slow-pressing overnight to gain texture in the wines followed by fermentation and ageing in fibreglass.
With the philosophy here drawing parallels with the experimental art & music communities they're a strong part of, Chloélie & Matthieu are producing vivid, alternative expressions of the far-eastern zone of the Muscadet region.
As the last appellation in Brittany, Dutch merchants of history would come to buy their sweet Chenin as the taxes were lower than in Angers, over the French border.
Wines
