Terroir:
schist-rich soils (mica-schist, leptynite) with maritime breeze and subtle salt-air note
 
Grape Variety:
Melon de Bourgogne (100%)
 
Viticulture:
organic certified, hand-harvested, low yield
 
Winemaking:
native yeasts, very slow pressing, aged on lees in stainless steel, minimal sulphur at bottling.
 
Tasting Notes:
green apple peel, wet stone, tidal minerality, crisp structure, chalky finish.
 
Why it matters:
Because it shows how the humble Melon grape, under careful hands and special soils, can speak clearly of place and time.
 
The morning light filters through the vineyard up above the Loire’s edge, and the vines hold the ocean’s salt on their leaves. At Domaine de la Sénéchalière a family’s hands have guided the land for decades, quietly, patiently. The estate sits near Saint-Julien-de-Concelles, in the Nantais, and the mindset here is rooted in respect for the vine rather than the label. Certified organic, and moving ever more towards minimal-intervention, not because it’s trendy, but because the grapes and the schist soils demand it. The rhythm is unhurried: pruning, harvest, press, rest. You sense reverence, not production.
 
For decades it was the quiet precision of Marc Pesnot that shaped this place, now a new chapter begins with Ryosuke Furuya taking the baton. Ryosuke is described as accurate, unhurried, neat and honest; someone who has worked in the kitchen and in the vines, who respects process. He brings a stillness and a deep listening to the vineyard, asking the vines what they need rather than imposing his will. A small detail: at trade fairs he reportedly remains calm, welcoming one visitor at a time, even when the room is busy.  He honours Marc’s legacy and the vineyard’s momentum, while quietly asking questions like “what if less is more?”