Organic | Low Intervention

Variety: Pinot Noir

Julien Braud is an exciting young winemaker, one of the few next generation winemakers in Sevre et Maine, who has taken over part of his family's estate with the mission of pushing the limits of Muscadet and its identity grape, Melon de Bourgogne. The area in general has seen a decline in producers and vineyards in recent years, but Julien Braud is on a mission to bring emphasis and notoriety back to this area, and so far is undeterred! Not only is he farming sustainably and recently certified organic, he brings a quality-minded approach and a sense of whimsy to an otherwise neglected area. His wines effectively over-deliver in quality at their modest price points.

This is one of the Loire Valley’s biggest red varieties that often flies under the radar. In the Muscadet region, while Pinot Noir is grown there, it doesn’t fit under any specific appellation. Thus, it gets the Vin de France labeling. This Pinot is aged for just six months in stainless steel before it is ready to drink in all of its fresh fruitiness.

A fine, fresh Pinot Noir with immediate fruitiness. A gourmet nose with tangy and slightly spicy notes. A smooth, seductively delicious palate. The price/pleasure ratio is simply exceptional. Who said that good reds couldn't be produced in the Nantes vineyards?

Julien Braud
On the hillsides of Monnières, in the heart of the Nantes vineyards, Julien Braud, behind his horse, works on various tasks in the vineyard. Since 2012, this young winemaker has freed himself from the family vineyard to create his own estate on an 8-hectare organic island. Sure of the quality of his terroir, and convinced of the benevolence and evidence of organic and biodynamic precepts, Julien does not rely on synthetic chemistry and prefers indigenous yeasts, herbal concoctions and working the soil to bring his grapes and wines to the desired fulfillment.

Julien Braud hails from the small village of Monnières in the Sèvre et Maine appellation. Today he owns just over seven hectares, with only around five hectares going into his production. He began his winemaking career at his family’s estate, domain Fief aux Dames, where he worked through the 2011 vintage. In 2012, he ventured out on his own when he took over three hectares from his parents. His vision was to work in a way that highlighted the individual terroirs of the region and the heights to which Melon de Bourgogne could be taken. At the young age of 29 years old, Julien is one of only a handful of the next generation of winemakers in the region. He is bucking the trend in the area, which in recent years has seen a decline in producers and Melon de Bourgogne vineyards given the challenges of making a living selling Muscadet. He remains undeterred!

Julien works entirely organically and is recently fully certified. He also incorporates biodynamic approaches. He uses horses in his vineyards to minimize soil compaction, hand harvests, uses only natural yeasts for fermentation after a gentle press, and ages the wines on their lees in glass-lined, underground cement vats. A truly quality-minded approach that has resulted in wines of complexity, texture and balance.