Domaine de la Pépière : Château-Thébaud 2022

Characteristics and tasting advice for the Château-Thébaud 2022 from Domaine de la Pépière

Tasting

Color

The color shows a pale yellow hue with subtle green highlights.

Nose

The nose is initially discreet, then gradually opens with aeration to aromas of candied lemon and fresh peach. Crisp mineral notes emerge, accompanied by hints of green apple. With time, the bouquet reveals smoky touches as well as fennel and anise aromas, reflecting the extended aging on the lees.

Palate

The attack reveals fine breadth with a subtle creaminess. The structure is defined by a pleasant, invigorating tension, carried by citrus notes, notably grapefruit and candied lemon. A discreet yet present minerality regularly refreshes the sensations on the palate. The finish is remarkably persistent, leaving a trail of lemony, mineral flavors with a very slight peppery nuance.

Food and wine pairings

The Château-Thébaud 2022 pairs beautifully with seafood: lobster with beurre blanc, seared scallops, shrimp in a light sauce, or mussels marinière. Delicate fish such as sole meunière, steamed turbot, or lemon-roasted sea bass also make excellent partners. This wine also pairs perfectly with smoked salmon, pan-seared foie gras, warm goat cheeses, as well as roasted white meats served with fresh herb sauces.

Serving and cellaring

The Château-Thébaud 2022 is best enjoyed at a temperature between 8 and 10°C. A few minutes of aeration before serving, in a light decanter or simply in the glass, encourages the aromas to open gradually. This wine can be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve through around 2030.

An outstanding Muscadet Sèvre et Maine from Domaine de la Pépière

The estate

Founded in 1984 by Marc Ollivier in the hamlet of la Pépière in Maisdon-sur-Sèvre, the Domaine de la Pépière now spans forty-two hectares in Loire-Atlantique. A pioneer in the recognition of Muscadet’s communal crus, the estate very early embraced export markets and single-parcel vinification. Certified organic since 2007, it is now farmed biodynamically. Since 2019, Rémi Branger and Gwénaëlle Croix have jointly managed the property, perpetuating its founding philosophy: wine quality depends above all on grape quality. The estate embodies Muscadet excellence through complex, age-worthy dry white wines.

The vineyard

The Château-Thébaud 2022 comes from the hillside of l'Aulnaye, overlooking the confluence of the Sèvre and Maine rivers, at the geographic heart of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation. This exceptional terroir rests on a subsoil of Château-Thébaud granite, a two-mica granodiorite. The shallow, sandy, stony soils compel the vines to root deeply. Old vines, from massal selection, benefit from a southwest exposure and constant Atlantic winds that encourage slow, gradual ripening. The estate practices biodynamic viticulture with soil plowing, hand-harvesting, and three-wire trellising to naturally concentrate sugars in the berries.

The vintage

The 2022 vintage in the Loire Valley benefited from climatic conditions that yielded grapes of harmonious ripeness and remarkable balance, fully expressing the mineral character of the granite terroir.

Vinification and aging

The Château-Thébaud 2022 grapes are gently pressed by gravity in a pneumatic press, without crushing. After light cold settling, fermentation takes place exclusively with native yeasts under temperature-controlled conditions. The wine is then aged for thirty-six months on the lees in an underground tank, with regular lees stirring. This extended aging gives the wine its richness, roundness, and aromatic complexity. No chaptalization, no enzyme additions, and no oenological inputs disrupt this natural process. Bottling is carried out without excessive filtration.

Grape variety

100% Melon de Bourgogne