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Château du Cléray-Sauvion en Eloie,
B.P.3 - 44330 Vallet,
France
Tel: +33 (0)2 40 36 22 55

Opening hours 08.30-12.00, 14.00-16.30, Mon-Fri. Weekends by appointment only.

Another Country - Muscadet

Below Brittany, amid the gentle contours of the Western Loire, we visit a château whose wines are currently confounding the assumptions of many who think they know Muscadet.

Competition, they say, improves the breed. Nowhere is the reality of this maxim more visible than in the French wine industry, which in recent years has transformed itself almost beyond recognition in response to the unnerving market success of fruit-laden imports from the New World. Traditionally, of course, the rigours of the state AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) system have been there to confirm to the purchaser the provenance of any bottle of French regional wine which he or she might care to purchase anywhere in the world. But while it also implied some degree of quality control, the reputations of certain regions (and particularly their star producers) have always provided a more realistic starting point. Inevitably, some areas were left out in the cold. Take Muscadet, for example. For a generation or so France's most exported wine has tended to assume a generic role as a light, refreshing and affordable 'dry white' best drunk young and, it has to be said, informally. Little wonder, then, that it's been described as the white counterpart of Beaujolais. But go back a century or so and things were considerably bleaker, with the vast majority of the local output being destined for the jug, rather than the bottle. And if you think that Muscadet's elevation has been impressive so far, you've seen nothing yet - we tip this region as one to watch, and to prove the point visit one producer in particular currently redefining the genre. But first, the basics.

The region actually possesses not one but three AOCs: Muscadet des Cotteaux de la Loire, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu and Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine. What unites all of them, however, is a common reliance on one single grape variety, the Melon-de-Bourgogne, introduced, it is said, at the suggestion of Dutch traders during the 17th Century. Until then the region had been the preserve of indifferent reds with little in the way of export value, but the introduction of white grape vines from Burgundy changed all that. When the spectacularly harsh winter of 1709 decimated the Nantes wine industry, only the Melon-de-Bourgogne (named after its rounded leaves and known to Californians as Pinot Blanc) survived. The variety thus came to be favoured above all others. Its particular virtues include high yields and a better than average resistance to frost, an essential quality since its early-ripening inevitably also means early budding and flowering. The downsides of the equation are a requirement for careful handling to overcome a susceptibility to both mildew and botrytis, plus a tendency to underachieve. In the right hands, however, magical things can happen and today you can hardly miss the endless rows striding across the shallow undulations of the Sèvre-et-Maine hills, encouraged by mostly mechanical harvesting practices. The local soil combines sand and clay, with a schistous, flinty and even volcanic subsoil, while the proximity of the Atlantic ensures a generally mild climate whose prevailing westerly breezes are refreshingly untainted by industrial pollution. It's a promising start.

Early last autumn I decided to see for myself whether the rumours I'd heard were true, and made my way to the commune of Vallet, in pursuit of the 'new' Muscadet being created, paradoxically, at one of the oldest estates of Sèvre-et-Maine. The Château de Cléray-Sauvion en Eolie is as imposing as it sounds and occupies the site of a medieval, moated stronghold which was destroyed during the Revolution. Fortunately its extensive vaulted cellars survived more or less intact, and are still gainfully employed beneath the present structure to store modern-day wines of a very different kind from those originally exported to the West Indies and New Guinea well before the Revolution. The contrast with the elegant lightness of the château couldn't be more pronounced, a point which becomes apparent during tentative exploration of the labyrinthine network of cave-like stone passages. At one point a heavy oak door creaks open reluctantly to reveal a line of venerable casks working their particular brand of alchemy on their precious contents in the cool, and distinctly eerie darkness. In another, less intimidating (but still convincingly dungeonesque) chamber are neat stacks of dusty bottles, whose date cards put the lid firmly on the notion that there are no old Muscadets, or that there is little point in allowing them to become so.

Wine visits can be thirsty work, an opinion with which my hosts are obviously in wholehearted agreement. Jean-Ernest Sauvion has achieved something of a reputation as one of the great emissaries for Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine, and spends much of his time travelling the world and spreading the message to a discerning and, at times, sceptical marketplace. His associate Roselyne Delaunay shares his passion for the estate and its wines, and to prove the point describes herself as 'Ambassadrice d'Eloie' on her business card. We sit down for the serious stuff, and for one glorious hour or so immerse ourselves in the hedonistic pleasures of sampling and discussing some of the chateau's current range of fine wines. It's immediately apparent that the decision to concentrate on much lower yields than the regional average and allow the Melon-de-Bourgogne to reveal its full potential has more than repaid the extra effort. The Sauvion du Cléray, a blend of young and old vines, provides the crispness and finesse of a typical, quality Muscadet but at a competitive price. Découverte de Sauvion, on the other hand, offers a more ephemeral experience, using grapes from selected plots on the best terroirs and offered for one season only. For a noticeably fuller, more rounded style the Allégorie du Cléray is barrel-vinified and matured, and like its companions, remains on the lees until bottling. Surprisingly, it manages to retain the trademark Muscadet characteristics of lightness and elegance yet with subtle overtones of vanilla and even banana, thanks to the Limousin-sourced oak.

At this point we turned our attentions to a wine with a very different underlying philosophy. During the vendange the family selects grapes from several estates located within the Sèvre et Maine region, the resulting meticulous blending process producing the Carte d'Or Sauvion. It's a premium, haute gamme wine which adds pronounced fruitiness to the traditional qualities of a fine Muscadet. Arguably the wine which above all others best exemplifies the new thinking is the Cardinal Richard, named after a revered former Archbishop of Paris who once owned the Château du Cléray. This prestige cuvée, presented in numbered, specially-designed bottles, is the result of an annual March selection - if the quality fails to measure up to the demanding standards required by not one jury but two, then there will be no Cardinal Richard vintage for that year. So why is it so special? Well, certainly the classic qualities are all there, but Muscadet never tasted so fruity as this. In short, it's a world class wine for a new generation of wine-drinkers.

But there was one final surprise. If all these wines are destined - even designed - to be drunk young, others are most certainly not. The Château du Cléray Sauvion Cuvée de Garde is produced exclusively from old vines and not only has a deeper hue, more complex aromas and peppery, nutty undertones, but unprecedented ageing abilities - up to and beyond 20 years. So much for there being no old Muscadets. As I said, they do things rather differently around here. We are, after all, in Eloie. Jean-Ernest Sauvion has declared it so, all but seceding from the rest of France, in homage to the ancient island home of Greek goddesses Sappho and Alcée. Eloie? It's the land of wine.

© Words and pictures Roger Moss
This feature first appeared in everything France magazine Issue 6

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