Domaine de la Sénéchalière Miss Terre

Wineries often feel deeply rooted in the region they belong to, so disassociating themselves from an appellation that aims to protect the origin, control winegrowing and oenological practices and share goodwill with other adjacent wineries must not be easy. The truth is that in many cases this decision is taken against the heart’s desire, due to a feeling of incomprehension of their products. This is the case of Marc Pesnot, a natural winegrower with 20 hectares located in Saint-Julien-de-Concelles, in the Loire (France). In 2004, when his wines weren’t approved by the Muscadet appellation due to lack of acidity, all his wines were labeled Vin de France. From the belief that the area’s wines are much more than simple acidic elaborations, he didn’t bend, and maintains his work philosophy in search of fruit with long fermentations and aging and a minimum of sulfur.

After learning from great natural estates (Lapierre, Overnoy, Gramenon), at his winery Domaine de la Sénéchalière, he converted his entire Domaine into organic with biodynamic practices. Vineyards with shale, slate and pebble soils where he grows two grape varieties: Bourgogne melon and Folle Blanche. This is where Domaine de la Sénéchalière Miss Terre came into being, a single varietal melon de Bourgogne where perfection is sought with natural formulas at the expense of performance. Thus, the vines are plowed, protected with copper, essential oils and herbal teas and no synthetic products are used. The grapes are harvested by hand and, as no sulfite is added in the winemaking process, a careful selection is carried out to discard any diseased grapes which could contaminate the entire vat. In the cellar, fermentation is slow for more than 4 months without adding yeast with its malolactic fermentation (something the AOC Muscadet, in search of acidity, doesn’t allow in its wines).

The result is Domaine de la Sénéchalière MissTerre, an atypical Vin de France, pure and without artifice that stands out for its great concentration and rare elegance. A white wine which, although it’s not registered with the AOC Muscadet, has everything it needs to feel of pure Loire origin.