Muscadet sans soufre ajouté ‘Katharos’, Louise Chereau

An outstanding expression of Muscadet showing great aromatic purity of green apple combined with white flowers, textured and rich with a remarkably clean and saline finish.

Producer Note

Chéreau-Carré is one of the leading Muscadet producers with substantial family owned vineyards in some of the best locations in the region. Their vineyard area totals 135 hectares of the highest quality soil, making them one of the largest producers of Muscadet. The wide variety of 'terroirs' available within the estate enables Bernard Chéreau to offer a comprehensive selection of styles including those bottled 'sur lie' where the wine is drawn straight off the lees prior to bottling, resulting in a wine with more weight and complexity.

Vineyard

The grapes come from a specific parcel at the Château de Chasseloir, carefully selected for its position on a south facing slope, which produces berries that achieve good levels of maturity. The schistous soil imparts a balancing, refreshing character to the wine. The vines are carefully managed respecting the environment; herbicides are not used and the soil is ploughed to eliminate grass between the vines. The grapes are manually harvested at optimal ripeness.

Winemaking

Katharos means ‘purity’ in ancient Greek and the aim of this cuvée is to reveal the authentic aromas of the Melon de Bourgogne variety without the addition of any sulphur during vinification, which allows the aromatics to shine through. The grapes were pressed and fermented with carefully selected yeasts that would enable fermentation through to less than one gram of residual sugar. While this is made without the addition of sulphur, the yeasts do create some natural sulphur during fermentation, which is why the label reads ‘contains sulphites’. The wine did not go through malolactic fermentation to retain the refreshing acidity. The gravity fed cellar enables the wine to be gently moved without the use of a pump and ageing took place in concrete tanks. Without the addition of sulphur, the wine is sensitive to oxidation, so bottling took place directly from the lees, using an inert bottling line to prevent oxidation.

Tasting Note

An outstanding expression of Muscadet showing great aromatic purity, with richness and length on the palate. The intense golden colour leads to exotic fruit aromas and notes of ripe, juicy pear. Beautifully balanced with aromatic freshness through to the deliciously persistent finish. A great match for charcuterie, mature cheese or fish and chips.

Grape 

Melon de Bourgogne 100%