DOMAINE MELARIC
FRANCE, LOIRE, SAUMUR PUY-NOTRE-DAME
New wines from Melaric have just landed!
In Saumur-Puy-Notre-Dame, one couple has surely had a bigger impact on the area's recent winemaking culture than any other: Melanie Cunin and Aymeric Hillaire. Picking up where Philippe Gourdon left off- who retired in the mid-2000s and leased his biodynamic vineyards to the pair- they've since found a cluster of young growers to take on the remaining parcels.
With Melanie teaching winemaking nearby (counting David of La Folle Berthe and Beatriz of Clos Kixhaya among her students ) and Aymeric offering experience and assistance to budding winemakers in the region, they've worked tirelessly to support new projects in the area.
There's a genuine sense of community in Puy-Notre-Dame, with growers working together to support each other's projects. Pauline from L'Austral credits much of the energy to Aymeric and Melanie:
"Working with them was very special, it was fascinating. We're very happy here. There's no competition, everyone is here to help one another, sharing knowledge. If people drink the wines from Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame they'll discover how special a region it is. Aymeric is very passionate about that, he really pushes the movement for discovering our location."
Working a surface of just under five hectares over Tuffeau and Silex farmed according to biodynamics, the wines of Domaine Melaric continue to be a skilled demonstration of the possibilities available at this southern tip of Saumur. Work in the cellar is careful and considered, favouring slow presses, long fermentations and ageing in the caves, with minimal sulphur use.
We have a handful of new arrivals from Melanie & Aymeric available now from their recent vintages:
AVAILABLE NOW
SPARKLING
2022 - Globules Rose - Cab Franc
From a parcel located on the southern slope of the cherry orchard of Puy Notre Dame, with a silt clay top soil over chalk. Pressed directly, fermented for 6 weeks, bottled with 20g/l residual sugar to continue as a pet nat. Disgorged after 24 months on lees.
WHITE
2023 - Sac de Billes - Chenin
From a parcel farmed by friends in Montreuil Bellay (8km from Puy Notre Dame), young vines on sandy gravel over clay. Whole-bunch pressed after selection, fermentation and ageing for 8 months in fibreglass tanks. Bottled unfiltered, with 15mg/l sulphur added at bottling.
2022 - Billes de Roche - Chenin
Billes de Roche Blanc comes from a single parcel of 1.4 hectares. The vines are between 30 - 50 years old. The plot is located at the top of the Cerisaie hill on its eastern slope, with 30 to 80 cm of silty to sandy clay over yellow tuffeau. Whole-bunch pressed after selection, aged 12 months in 228-500l barrels and 4 additional months in tank. Unfiltered, less than 20mg/l sulphur at bottling.
2021 - Billes de Roche Blanc (Magnum) - Chenin
2021 - Clos de La Cerisaie - Chenin
A blend of two small plots (0.7 ha) of Chenin aged between 45 and 50 years old. The vines have been grown organically since 1998. Located at the bottom of the slope of the Cerisaie hill, on its eastern slope. A little silty clay over white tuffeau. Whole-bunch pressed after selection, slow fermentation and ageing in a combination of 228l - 500l Burgundy barrels and a 500l Stockinger. Racked from barrel to tanks after 24 months, bottled unfiltered with 15mg/l sulphur at bottling.
SWEET
2010 - Liquoreux de La Cerisaie - Chenin
Made only when conditions are conducive to the full development of botrytis in their Chenin Blanc. Three weeks after harvest of the still wines, they return to all the parcels to pick what fruit remains. During the first pass these were observed with 30% botrytis, with full botrytis after two weeks. An 18 hour press to extract what little juice is present in the fruit, the wine is settled lightly before transferring to Burgundy barrels. The 2010 Liquoreux was racked from barrel in May 2014 after 30 months of ageing, before bottling with 30mg/l sulphur. Only 600 bottles produced.
