Description

The Melon de la Soeur Cadette is a little gem of a delight: fruit, fruit, fruit! … A pale, dry, easy-drinking wine with low alcohol content that evokes green apple and citrus fruits. It offers freshness and is exceptionally easy to drink. Ideal for starting off an aperitif with some shellfish.

What to eat with a Melon de la Soeur Cadette?

• Persillade of baby squid
• Aperitif
• Grilled fish
• Perch fillets
• Frog legs
• Parsley ham
• Fish terrines
• Mussels
• Fresh or semi-mature goat’s cheese.

In the vineyard, in the cellar

La Soeur Cadette’s Melon in detail:

• Grape variety: 100% Melon de Bourgogne
• Cultivation: certified organic
• Vinification: Natural settling by gravity. Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts
• Ageing: on lees for between 8 and 10 months.

The unique history of Melon de Bourgogne

As its name suggests, Melon de Bourgogne (or simply Melon) is a white grape variety native to Burgundy. However, it is now virtually absent from its region of origin; it is found in Muscadet, where it is the sole grape variety. In reality, this predominance in the Nantes region is the result of a terrible winter…

Melon for the Dutch Cognac

In the 15th century, Melon was marginalised in Burgundy by the arrival of grape varieties considered more productive. It found a new lease of life in the 17th century, driven by the Dutch, who needed large quantities of wine to make Cognac. The choice of planting site was mainly based on proximity to the port of Nantes, the most convenient location for shipping the wine to Holland.

The terrible winter of 1709

At that time, the Nantes region was dominated mainly by red grape varieties. But when the winter of 1709 devastated the vineyards, freezing the coastal waters, Melon was one of only two varieties to survive. Since then, it has dominated the entire Loire-Atlantique region, notably due to its historical resilience to that terrible winter.

Melon, a cross between Gouais Blanc and Pinot Noir

Melon de Bourgogne is said to be the result of a cross between a very old, now extinct variety, Gouais Blanc, and Pinot Noir, thus confirming its Burgundian origins. Curiously enough, in 1995, a Muscadet producer from Nantes was surprised to discover that one of his Melon de Bourgogne vines had a shoot bearing white grapes, whilst the other bore black grapes. According to the Institut de France (IFV) in Nantes, which monitored this phenomenon, a spontaneous mutation is thought to have occurred, resulting in a surprising resurgence of Pinot Noir.

Ageing on lees for a discreet grape variety

Melon de Bourgogne is an early-ripening grape variety. It produces a dry white wine with a pale colour and greenish hues. Aromatically understated (and sometimes even neutral), it nevertheless has a distinct iodine character. This is not due to any proximity to the sea but is indeed an ampelographic characteristic of the grape variety. As proof, this expression is just as pronounced when it is planted in its native region, Burgundy.

Melon is often aged on lees, which involves bottling without filtration. This winemaking method lends the wine roundness, suppleness and extra freshness; it also protects the wine from oxidation.

La Soeur Cadette in the Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

Valentin Montanet runs this organic estate in Vézelay, established in 1987. The vineyard was tended by his parents, Jean and Catherine. Winemaking is carried out without unnecessary additives. No yeasts, no chaptalisation, minimal sulphites… Aged on lees in vats, and sometimes in barrels, the wines are straightforward, remarkably frank in expression and very consistent. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir make up the majority of the vineyard, but Melon is also present, resulting in a light, easy-drinking wine with low alcohol content. Energetic and briny, this Melon from La Soeur Cadette delights us with its rich structure.