The estate’s vineyards are located in the eastern portion of Vallet, one of the newly established Muscadet Crus, spread over rolling hills and small valleys. The soil consists of mica schists, which allow for the rapid flow of water and quick warming of the soil in spring to generate an early start for the vine. This crumbly rock also allows deep rooting of vines. Deeper down, the roots find clay and silt areas rich in minerals, which are useful in summer to conserve water resources. The orientation of the vines, slope, soil thickness, and age of the vines vary among the plots. Due to its geographical location, the vineyard benefits from an oceanic cool climate, south of the Loire River, 30 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, which makes it ideal conditions for the production of white wines synonymous with their refreshing and bright character. Winters are relatively mild, which enables a fairly early start for the vines. Summers are relatively dry but with mild temperatures. The vines suffer little water stress, and the balance between the sugars and acids in the berries allows for aromatic wines that retain freshness and minerality.
The Winemaking
Whereas most Muscadets are left on the lees only a short time, all of the Les Tilleuls’ wines are bottled sur lie. The wines are not racked after fermentation but are drawn directly off the lees and bottled immediately, leaving in the wine some of the carbon dioxide created by the fermentation. Les Tilleuls bottles no earlier than April, allowing time for the lees to nourish the wine and define its character. In the cellar, Domaine des Tilleuls concentrates on bringing out the character of the wines using long pneumatic pressing, cold maceration between 18 to 24 hours to improve aromas, and controlled-temperature fermentation (16°C-18°C) in order to get a better preservation of all aromatic flavors. To enable them to reach full maturity, the Muscadets are matured for about 7 months or up to 12 months on fine lees in concrete underground cement vats (typical of the Pays Nantais) that will enhance aroma expression and body of the wines.
Sustainable Viticulture
Committed to producing environmentally-friendly wines with the utmost respect for the terroir and its environment; Domaine des Tilleuls is awarded with the HEV* certification (*High Environmental Value) since 2018, demonstrating its commitment to the environment for sustainable viticulture.
Domaine des Tilleuls’ wine estate is above all a family business; its winemaking heritage dates back five generations. The family winery has been a part of the Muscadet wine region since 1905 and covers almost 35 hectares of vines divided into several distinct plots. Today, two generations work closely together, sharing the same passion for winemaking, in order to produce high-quality wines every year.
2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Venerables” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France
Tasting Notes
This Muscadet is a selection of old vines; hand-harvested from these parcels only to keep the best grapes, which do give more concentration and a great swathe of ripe fruit. Combining fine delicacy and refreshing minerality, this wine is a benchmark of the appellation.
Translucent, crystalline color with green tints. Appealing nose of citrus fruits, spring scents, and a mineral dimension. The palate offers up an impressive, rich, silky presence, intense, precise aromas, and delicate freshness. Lovely.
Food pairing: Baked Oysters, Noble Crustaceans, Scallops Carpaccio, as well as raw and grilled white fish.
Specs
Region: Loire Valley, more specifically in the Nantais Vineyards, near the Atlantic Ocean, in the village of La Regrippière - east of Vallet.
Terroir: Silico-argillaceous over micaschists on gentle rolling hillsides. Temperate oceanic climate with a south-east exposure.
Harvest: Hand-harvesting respectful of the fruit’s integrity.
Winemaking: Smooth pneumatic press of the grapes. Then, the juice is left to settle between 12 and 18 hours at a low temperature.
Traditional alcoholic fermentation with temperature control at 16-17°C. Aged on thin lees for 14 months in concrete underground vats (typical of the Nantais region) with no racking. Lees stirring is made regularly at the beginning of the maturation period.
Alcohol: 12%
Best serve chilled: 50 - 53 Fahrenheit
2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Essentielle” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France
Tasting Notes
This Muscadet will entice you with its aromas of fresh citrus fruits and flowery notes endowed with a mineral freshness. It has been bottled directly off its lees which gives extra character and finesse to the wine.
Pale gold color, green hues, lemony accents, and mandarin, iodized background. The palate is clean and fresh. Pleasant balance between a generous substance, a good acidulous fruit, and a long sappy and toned finish.
Food pairing: Fresh oysters, shellfish, and crustaceans, or put simply on its own.
Specs
Made from 100% Melon de Bourgogne
Region: Loire Valley, more specifically in the Nantais vineyards, near the Atlantic Ocean in the village of La Regrippière, east of the township of Vallet.
Terroir: Predominantly schists with a silico-argillaceous bottom. Temperate Oceanic climate with a south-east exposure.
Harvest: Mechanical harvest to reach the optimum maturity.
Winemaking: Smooth pneumatic press of the grapes. The juice is left to settle between 12 and 18 hours at a low temperature.
Traditional alcoholic fermentation in concrete underground vats (typical of the Nantais vineyards); temperature-controlled at 14-16°C along with cold fermentation conducive to the development of the aromas. -
Long ageing on fine lees for 6-7 months with no racking.
Alcohol: 12%
Best serve chilled: 50 - 53 Fahrenheit
What’s Included
6-bottles:
3x 2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Venerables” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France
3x 2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Essentielle” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France Case:
6x 2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Venerables” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France
6x 2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Essentielle” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France
Price Comparison
Not all wines for sale on winery website, $294/case MSRP
Founded in 1905, Domaine des Tilleuls is a family-owned and operated winery. The adventure of the estate began with a mere five hectares in the locality known as Les Corbetières in the village of La Regrippière. Family winemaking continued up until 1962, when Gabriel Houssin, the grandfather, bought an old farm at Les Tilleuls, where he acquired all the plots of vines as well as the land surrounding the property. After inheriting the estate in 1989, Daniel, his son, went through some major renovations in the winery and in the vineyards to rehabilitate the property. While he was working with his father, they both decided to sell the wine themself in bottle, a real revolution at that time. Today, two generations work closely together as Jérôme returned to work at the family winery in 2012, sharing the same passion for winemaking. Thanks to a recognized savoir-faire, between tradition and modernity, the winemaking philosophy is to produce elegantly-textured Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine as well as premium Loire wines such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon-Blanc & Cabernet-Franc that reflect the terroir and proud sense of place.
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Domaine Des Tilleuls French Muscadets
6 bottles for $64.99 $10.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
@InFrom@rjquillin Ha, it fooled me too for a moment, but I think it’s just a darker bottle. There’s no such thing as a “Red French Muscadet”—the grape is green and by law in France if it’s blended or aged on the skins of a red grape it can’t be called a Muscadet, so there is simply no way for it to be red.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Domaine Des Tilleuls French Muscadets - $30 = 23.07%
Friday? Weekend? How’d that happen?..oh, happens every seven days or so I guess…
Wine Enthusiast, the Venerables:
90 points. Editors’ Choice. Old vines give density and a creamy, ripe character to this smoothly textured wine. Acidity is fully integrated into the tangy aftertaste. The wine will be ready from late 2022. — Roger Voss 5/1/22
WE, the Essentielle:
88 points. As its name suggests, this is the main production at this Muscadet-based estate. With bright green fruits and touches of grapefruit, the wine is tangy and refreshing. Drink now. — Roger Voss 5/1/22
Decanter WWA, the Venerables:
88 points. Light lemon sherbet aromas with citrus concentration on the palate. Soft on the finish. Reviewed sometime in '22
jancis robinson, also the Venerables:
16/20. Vines over 50 years old. Hay and lemon blossom nose. Piquant yet quite delicate. The lemon-barley citrus is firm and linear but the accompanying notes of flowers and panko crumbs, lanolin and fenugreek are softly smudged. Neat finished, shaped by a stencil of lemon. Tamlyn Currin 12/2/22
Chris Kissack - Winedoctor, the Essentielle:
87 points, hit a paywall, 10/21
Le Guide Hatchette Des Vins, the Essentielle:
1 star out of 3 (very successful wine). Convivial, this Muscadet invites sharing. Its citrus notes, its lively attack, its structured structure served by beautiful bitters make up a very nice wine, dry and nervous. It will be enjoyed with fresh goat’s cheese toast or white meat, today or a little later. Wine Guide 2022
Rat would be good, particularly on the Essentielle, my humble…
@chipgreen@InFrom@rjquillin You sir, Mr. Chips, have more tolerance on aged bottles than we do here, or let’s say bottles I wouldn’t think to hang on to…but then, Mr. Chips did age gracefully now didn’t he
I wonder How these will be and how long they hold up, being 5 years in the bottle already. The reviews @Kaolis posted are encouraging although they are from 3-4 years ago and indicated a “drink now” window.
I’m far from an expert but do drink a fair amount of Muscadet, admittedly Pépière heavy. A mag of '15 Briords on deck in fact for an early December oyster roast/Frogmore stew gathering. Conventional wisdom says to drink Muscadet young and fresh, which I certainly do, but they can age as well. They take on weight, develop caramel flavors, become more interesting if you will.
No idea on these bottles, no idea where they are in their evolution…but the Essentielle is 20 year vines, spends some time on the lees, 6-7 months according to the specs, and appears to be the winery drink me now/ sooner rather than later bottle. The Venerables seems to be a little more serious wine, more time on lees, 14 months, and is from 40-60 year old vines. This is certainly built to take on more age than the Essentielle. But that is a lot of supposition on my part, or as I like to call it, more useless information…ha!
Here we go friends! UPS five minutes ago dropped off a bottle of
2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Essentielle” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France
Given that time is of the essence, we’re going to live blog the tasting.
On P&P (66º F off the truck), clear pale straw yellow. A little green apple on the nose, but not much else, probably too warm. Tastes dry, light, clean. It’s pretty acidic right now (lemon), but again that might be the temperature.
Sorry, had to go pick something up. It definitely does not taste aged.
Still needs a bit of chilling (I’ve put it into an ice bath this time; towel method isn’t working as well as usual). At this point (60º), the acidity is balancing out, and I’m getting a little more minerality, but things are hard to discern at this temperature.
Ok we’re at a decent temperature. Wine is starting to sing a bit more now. I’m getting tangerine, pear, lemon zest, slate.
We’ve got takeout from the nearby Nepalese restaurant for dinner. We ordered it before knowing what we were drinking, but it will be a good test of how well the wine holds up to some pretty serious spices.
We’ve now tried the wine with a variety of curries and biryani. The flavors do get a bit lost, but the wine does cut through heat and refresh the palate well. It continues to taste clean. Neither of us detects the breadiness of the lees.
I may have spoken too soon about the lees. There’s a hint of salinity now that could be vaguely called “toasty.” It’s also feeling more unctuous than before, though hard to say if that’s due to the food.
The “weight” of the wine is now more apparent. Mouthfeel is getting toward a chard or Riesling (though not in terms of taste). Maybe it needed some time to breathe, or overcome the transit bottle shock.
I can definitely see the oyster/shellfish pairing. The hint of salinity in the wine would match well, probably.
Ok some conclusions! Definitely after some time to open up, this was a tasty sipping wine, with some light floral/citrus flavors plus some mineral salinity. It has a slightly funky finish, which makes me think the shellfish/oyster pairing would make sense. I’d definitely go with food on the lighter, more delicate side.
Many thanks to the Casemates/WCC folks for the opportunity to try this out!
Finally, UPS just delivered our bottle of 2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Venerables” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine at 4:00 pm! I quickly put it in the refrigerator to chill before my husband came home from work. We had a pork loin in the slow cooker. We opened the bottle at 6:30 pm when I plated up the pork and spätzle. The color was a beautiful golden hue. The nose instantly reminded me of honeysuckle. It is a delicious wine; the mouthfeel is silky. The taste was peach and hints of honeysuckle and nice dry. It paired well with the pork. We really enjoyed this bottle, we would love another bottle to pair with hog snapper!
Hahahahaha! Grabbed a case, used the $10 off code from this week’s Meh.com wine purchase. It looks like I have Wine David right where he wants me! Oh, wait…
@InFrom my usual test is how it tastes on the second day, but the sale will end by then! Best I can say is that it still fits the profiles of the reviews from a few years ago, so it doesn’t seem over the hill yet. I wouldn’t bury it in the cellar though.
The Terroir
The Winemaking
Sustainable Viticulture
2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Venerables” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France
Tasting Notes
Specs
2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Essentielle” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not all wines for sale on winery website, $294/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Dec 1 - Tuesday, Dec 2
Domaine Des Tilleuls French Muscadets
6 bottles for $64.99 $10.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Venerables” Muscadet
2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Essentielle” Muscadet
I’ve never had a red Muscadet. Are we going to have any Rats?
@InFrom CT links show both as white
@rjquillin Well, darned if you aren’t right. The pic fooled me. But the notes aren’t ambiguous – “Translucent, crystalline color with green tints.”
@InFrom Lab rat shipment is delayed but hopefully arriving today. Stay tuned!
@InFrom @rjquillin Ha, it fooled me too for a moment, but I think it’s just a darker bottle. There’s no such thing as a “Red French Muscadet”—the grape is green and by law in France if it’s blended or aged on the skins of a red grape it can’t be called a Muscadet, so there is simply no way for it to be red.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Domaine Des Tilleuls French Muscadets - $30 = 23.07%
Friday? Weekend? How’d that happen?..oh, happens every seven days or so I guess…
Wine Enthusiast, the Venerables:
90 points. Editors’ Choice. Old vines give density and a creamy, ripe character to this smoothly textured wine. Acidity is fully integrated into the tangy aftertaste. The wine will be ready from late 2022. — Roger Voss 5/1/22
WE, the Essentielle:
88 points. As its name suggests, this is the main production at this Muscadet-based estate. With bright green fruits and touches of grapefruit, the wine is tangy and refreshing. Drink now. — Roger Voss 5/1/22
Decanter WWA, the Venerables:
88 points. Light lemon sherbet aromas with citrus concentration on the palate. Soft on the finish. Reviewed sometime in '22
jancis robinson, also the Venerables:
16/20. Vines over 50 years old. Hay and lemon blossom nose. Piquant yet quite delicate. The lemon-barley citrus is firm and linear but the accompanying notes of flowers and panko crumbs, lanolin and fenugreek are softly smudged. Neat finished, shaped by a stencil of lemon. Tamlyn Currin 12/2/22
Chris Kissack - Winedoctor, the Essentielle:
87 points, hit a paywall, 10/21
Le Guide Hatchette Des Vins, the Essentielle:
1 star out of 3 (very successful wine). Convivial, this Muscadet invites sharing. Its citrus notes, its lively attack, its structured structure served by beautiful bitters make up a very nice wine, dry and nervous. It will be enjoyed with fresh goat’s cheese toast or white meat, today or a little later. Wine Guide 2022
Rat would be good, particularly on the Essentielle, my humble…
fwiw
@kaolis I always wonder, does “drink now” mean simply that it’s ready to drink now? Or is it “drink now, this stuff will show its age fast”?
After buying many “older” whites and Roses on this site and its predecessor, I’ve learned that drinking window estimates are often quite conservative.
@InFrom @kaolis
perhaps even extremely
@InFrom @kaolis @rjquillin
Agreed. We have enjoyed many an “over the hill” bottle and continue to do so. Reds, whites, pinks and bubbles.
@chipgreen @InFrom @rjquillin You sir, Mr. Chips, have more tolerance on aged bottles than we do here, or let’s say bottles I wouldn’t think to hang on to…but then, Mr. Chips did age gracefully now didn’t he
@InFrom @kaolis @rjquillin
They call me MISTER CHIPS!
Oh wait, wrong movie.
I wonder How these will be and how long they hold up, being 5 years in the bottle already. The reviews @Kaolis posted are encouraging although they are from 3-4 years ago and indicated a “drink now” window.
I’m far from an expert but do drink a fair amount of Muscadet, admittedly Pépière heavy. A mag of '15 Briords on deck in fact for an early December oyster roast/Frogmore stew gathering. Conventional wisdom says to drink Muscadet young and fresh, which I certainly do, but they can age as well. They take on weight, develop caramel flavors, become more interesting if you will.
No idea on these bottles, no idea where they are in their evolution…but the Essentielle is 20 year vines, spends some time on the lees, 6-7 months according to the specs, and appears to be the winery drink me now/ sooner rather than later bottle. The Venerables seems to be a little more serious wine, more time on lees, 14 months, and is from 40-60 year old vines. This is certainly built to take on more age than the Essentielle. But that is a lot of supposition on my part, or as I like to call it, more useless information…ha!
Is this a sweet wine, or just coincidence it is similar in name to Muscat?
@pseudogourmet98 coincidence
@pseudogourmet98 not sweet, dry and silky.
Here we go friends! UPS five minutes ago dropped off a bottle of
2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Essentielle” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine, France
Given that time is of the essence, we’re going to live blog the tasting.
On P&P (66º F off the truck), clear pale straw yellow. A little green apple on the nose, but not much else, probably too warm. Tastes dry, light, clean. It’s pretty acidic right now (lemon), but again that might be the temperature.
Bottle is going into the fridge, wrapped in a wet towel. Be back in about 10 minutes!
@cduan Waiting to hear your further remarks, but “dry, light, clean” does not sound like mature, oxidized, or anything of the sort.
Sorry, had to go pick something up. It definitely does not taste aged.
Still needs a bit of chilling (I’ve put it into an ice bath this time; towel method isn’t working as well as usual). At this point (60º), the acidity is balancing out, and I’m getting a little more minerality, but things are hard to discern at this temperature.
Ok we’re at a decent temperature. Wine is starting to sing a bit more now. I’m getting tangerine, pear, lemon zest, slate.
We’ve got takeout from the nearby Nepalese restaurant for dinner. We ordered it before knowing what we were drinking, but it will be a good test of how well the wine holds up to some pretty serious spices.
We’ve now tried the wine with a variety of curries and biryani. The flavors do get a bit lost, but the wine does cut through heat and refresh the palate well. It continues to taste clean. Neither of us detects the breadiness of the lees.
@cduan Thanks.
I may have spoken too soon about the lees. There’s a hint of salinity now that could be vaguely called “toasty.” It’s also feeling more unctuous than before, though hard to say if that’s due to the food.
The “weight” of the wine is now more apparent. Mouthfeel is getting toward a chard or Riesling (though not in terms of taste). Maybe it needed some time to breathe, or overcome the transit bottle shock.
I can definitely see the oyster/shellfish pairing. The hint of salinity in the wine would match well, probably.
Ok some conclusions! Definitely after some time to open up, this was a tasty sipping wine, with some light floral/citrus flavors plus some mineral salinity. It has a slightly funky finish, which makes me think the shellfish/oyster pairing would make sense. I’d definitely go with food on the lighter, more delicate side.
Many thanks to the Casemates/WCC folks for the opportunity to try this out!
Finally, UPS just delivered our bottle of 2020 Domaine Des Tilleuls “Venerables” Muscadet, Sèvre et Maine at 4:00 pm! I quickly put it in the refrigerator to chill before my husband came home from work. We had a pork loin in the slow cooker. We opened the bottle at 6:30 pm when I plated up the pork and spätzle. The color was a beautiful golden hue. The nose instantly reminded me of honeysuckle. It is a delicious wine; the mouthfeel is silky. The taste was peach and hints of honeysuckle and nice dry. It paired well with the pork. We really enjoyed this bottle, we would love another bottle to pair with hog snapper!
Hahahahaha! Grabbed a case, used the $10 off code from this week’s Meh.com wine purchase. It looks like I have Wine David right where he wants me! Oh, wait…
/giphy ashamedly-complex-lavender
@cduan, @jennyc93 Wondering whether the Rats can venture an opinion on the longevity prospects of their respective bottles.
@InFrom my usual test is how it tastes on the second day, but the sale will end by then! Best I can say is that it still fits the profiles of the reviews from a few years ago, so it doesn’t seem over the hill yet. I wouldn’t bury it in the cellar though.