Domaine de la Sénèchalière is winemaker Marc Pesnot’s love letter to Muscadet and its ‘humble’grape,Melon de Bourgogne.This is a grape bursting with untapped potential, hidden for too long in local mass-produced, simplistic winemaking. Marc is dedicated to producing vibrant Muscadet expressions through natural processes and delicate skin contact. He works with some stunning, older vineyards that thrive on schist soils. The resulting wines are intensely mineral, and a far cry from the run-of-the-mill Muscadet we’re all likely more familiar with.

Despite working in this appellation, however, Marc has deliberately chosen not to classify his wines as such. Muscadet has restrictive rules, which Marc has found difficult to work within. This includes a high minimum yield for vineyards, which is impossible to achieve with low-yielding, high-quality old vines. After all, why hinder quality in pursuit of a label?