Famille Lieubeau : Château Thébaud La Minée 2022

Characteristics and tasting notes of Château Thébaud La Minée 2022 by Famille Lieubeau

Tasting

Appearance
A pale yellow hue with golden highlights reveals itself in the glass, underlining a beautiful brilliance and a generous viscosity.

Nose
The nose opens with vibrant citrus aromas such as lemon and grapefruit. With aeration, it unveils a beautiful complexity with notes of fresh pear, white flowers, as well as subtle smoky touches, anise and fennel.

Palate
The attack on the palate is unctuous and creamy, swiftly balanced by a fine acidic tension. The whole shows itself ample, vibrant and mouth-watering, supported by delicate bitter notes. The finish, long and slender, stands out through a saline and iodised persistence typical of its terroir, accompanied by subtle floral and citrus echoes.

Food and wine pairing
This white wine from France sublimates seafood and noble shellfish, such as lobster with beurre blanc or pan-seared scallops. It also pairs wonderfully with refined fish dishes such as turbot en papillote or salt-crusted sea bass, as well as braised white meats like slow-cooked shoulder of lamb.

The revival of a historic terroir in Muscadet Sèvre et Maine

The estate
Founded in 1816 by Joseph Grégoire Lieubeau, an orphaned child taken in at Nantes, Famille Lieubeau today cultivates 70 hectares of vines in the Loire Valley. Currently led by Pierre and Chantal Lieubeau, joined by their children François, Vincent and Marie, the estate stands out for its deep respect for the environment. Certified organic since 2015, the estate combines historic heritage and rigorous agronomic practices to produce authentic Loire wines, reflecting all the richness and diversity of the terroirs of the Pays Nantais.

The vineyard
Located in Château-Thébaud, south of Nantes, the historic La Minée plot stretches over 3.5 hectares within the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation. This unique terroir, overlooking the confluence of the Sèvre and the Maine, rests on a subsoil of metamorphic gneiss rocks providing excellent drainage. Cultivated organically with a high density of 6,500 vines per hectare and pruned using the Guyot nantaise method, these vines benefit from soil work entirely carried out by horse, ensuring a minimal environmental impact.

The vintage
The year 2022 marks a historic milestone for the estate, as it corresponds to the very first harvest from the La Minée plot. This vintage is the culmination of several years of meticulous vineyard restructuring, including hoeing, the restoration of trellising and the replanting of nearly 40% of missing vine stocks.

Vinification and ageing
To honour this terroir, Château Thébaud La Minée 2022 benefits from a singular oenological approach. Ageing extends over 36 months on lees, divided between three distinct vessels: the oak foudre, the barrel and the terracotta amphora. This final blend brings a subtle patina and a beautiful organoleptic complexity to the wine.

Grape variety
100% melon de Bourgogne