Domaine de la Cadette
We have been great fans of the beautifully crafted Vezelay wines of the Domaine de la Cadette for some time. We contacted Jean and Catherine Montanet and asked to visit their winery in the small village of St Père. They were wonderful hosts and we not only tasted all of their impressive wines but were given a tour of their vineyards scattered through the area.
We are therefore delighted that they have agreed to supply us with their range of wines, including some of their truly excellent Melon de Bourgogne. This grape is found in very few places in Burgundy.
This domaine practices organic viniculture, uses no pesticides or herbicides in the vineyard and no nasty additives in the winemaking process. The grapes are fermented using only the naturally occurring yeasts.
Domaine de la Cadette Bourgogne Vézelay La Châtelaine 2009
La Châtelaine is one of Domaine de la Cadettte's best cuvées made from the only permitted grape variety in the Bourgogne Vézelay appellation, Chardonnay.
The wine comes from grapes from the vineyards on the pretty south-facing slopes of the Vézelay hills. The grapes are harvested by hand and then fermented naturally in vats (80%) and old barrels (20%). This is a beautifully-textured wine, showing that white wines of considerable elegance can be produced in this region.
RRP: $34
Domaine de la Cadette Bourgogne Vézelay La Saulniers 2009
La Saulniers is another white cuvée made entirely from Chardonnay. The La Saulnier vineyard is a beautiful parcel of land situated on an old road once used by salt smugglers, who extracted contraband salt from the water at the nearby "Fontaines Salées".
This wine was bottled in March 2010 after spending approximately six months in vats. It has a liveliness and freshness that is very appealing for such an elegant wine. The finish is very long and interesting.
RRP: $34
Domaine de la Cadette Bourgogne Champs Cadet Rouge 2009
While we originally approached the Montanet's because of their white wines, we soon discovered that their red wines are equally as delicious. This red Burgundy is made from 100% Pinot Noir even though small quantities of the César grape are permitted in this region. The Champs Cadet vineyard is one of Cadette's most remote and difficult with lots of stones littering the surface. This is a lovely wine with a velvet texture provided by maturation in old oak barrels, but also with the trademark freshness that makes these natural wines so appealing.
RRP: $37
La Soeur Cadette Vin de France Melon 2009
The
first time we tried a Melon de Bourgogne from this domaine we were amazed by the
purity of the fruit and the depth of flavour. This grape is common in the
Muscadet appellations found around Nantes near the Atlantic coast, however it
has almost disappeared from Burgundy. We knew that there were very few producers
of this wine left in Burgundy and even fewer who practice organic agriculture.
So we set out to see if we could import it to Australia.
This Melon de Bourgogne wine is produced under the Vin de France designation.
This wine is a great favourite of ours especially given the extremely reasonable price considering how little is produced. It is a perfect food wine marrying well with many flavours, but it comes into its own with terrines, parfaits, charcuterie and other light meat dishes.
RRP: $31