Domaine de Belle Vue

Situated not far from Nantes in the Loire valley, Domaine de Bellevue is a young wine estate created in 2005 by the talented young winemaker Jérôme Bretaudeau. His story and passion about wine is a true priesthood. In the 1990's, after his studies, Jérôme started working at Alain Gaubert 25 hectares estate in Vallet. In conventional viticulture, he worked there as a chef de culture (vineyard director) for 13 years and learnt the ins and the out of winemaking. Later, in 2001, Jérôme took over the small family estate of 2 hectares in Gétigné and started working there on weekends and holidays. He finally set up in 2005 with 6 hectares of vineyards and did his 1st vintage the very same year, the Domaine de Bellevue was born.

Today, the estate has 9 hectares of vineyards spread on various appellations and towns (Gétigné, Cugand, Clisson and Vallet). The soils are made of silica pebbles, white and pink quartz and also some volcanic rocks allowing strong minerality and complexity for the wines. The vines are old and various with unsual grape varieties for the Muscadet area (Chardonnay, Gamay, Merlot, Pinot Gris, etc.). Internships with Jo Landon and Guy Bossard gave him the taste for natural winemaking. Thus, Jérôme is only working the vineyards according to organic principles (organic reconversion since 2009). In 2012, new chais were built in the domaine in order to improve the winemaking processes, looking towards future. Also, Jérôme has some projects of enlargement of the estate on the town of Clisson with new vineyards.

With traditional winemaking and a clever approach of his cuvées, Jérôme Bretaudeau is definitely one the very promising winemakers of the new Nantaise wave, especially in a tough context affected by grubbing-up premiums to replace vineyards by real-estate lots.