Domaine de La Bregeonnette Cochonnet Melon

About Domaine de La Bregeonnette Cochonnet Melon

Domaine de La Bregeonnette Cochonnet Melon is a crisp and delightful liter-sized bottle of goodness. Bright apple and citrus flavors.

About Domaine de La Bregeonnette

Joseph Orieux founded this domaine in the town of Vallet in the 1960s and has been organic from the start, recently becoming certified (only 12 producers out of 600+ actually have the certification). Today, Joseph’s grandson, Stéphane Orieux upholds his family’s traditions of organic farming, hand-harvesting, wild yeast fermentation, and long, sur-lie aging. Due to the many decades of experience, Bregeonnette has become a reference point for other winemakers in the region who want to learn how to work organically in the vines. Even Marc Ollivier of Domaine de la Pépière consults Stéphane when he has questions about organic treatments. The same care and dedication to quality are present throughout the entire range of wines. Everything is harvested by hand, including the Gros Plant, and the top, single-parcel wine, “Clos de la Coudray”, spends 18 months sur-lie.

About Melon de Bourgogne

Melon de Bourgogne (known simply as Melon in the United States) is the white grape synonymous with the Muscadet appellation in the western Loire Valley. The variety has naturally high acidity but often struggles to achieve a good concentration of flavor. The best wines show apple and citrus flavors, with underlying mineral notes. A saltiness can sometimes identify in the wine, suggestive of the region’s maritime geography.

Muscadet is the most famous varietal expression of Melon de Bourgogne, and the area around the port city of Nantes has been an important wine-growing area since antiquity. Melon de Bourgogne was introduced to the region in 1709 after a vicious winter killed many of the Loire’s vines, around the same time it was expelled from its home in Burgundy. What the Dukes of Burgundy regarded as an overproductive variety of little viticultural interest, growers in the Loire saw as the cold-resistant answer to their troubles.

In the vineyard, Melon de Bourgogne buds early and vigorously, meaning that, even in the event of spring frosts, a second budding is still capable of producing a reasonable yield. Its major vulnerability is its susceptibility to mildew, though this affliction is less likely in the cool climate

In the winery, the fashion is to subject the best Melon de Bourgogne grapes to extended lees contact (sur lie on Muscadet labels) and sometimes also barrel maturation. This results in wines of greater depth, texture, and complexity, albeit at a higher price.

In the 20th Century, Melon de Bourgogne was misidentified in the US and Australia as Pinot Blanc, and the Californian plantings were subsequently removed in favor of more commercially appealing varieties. A little Melon de Bourgogne is grown in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and in Washington.