Two domaines under one roof: Visit at Domaine Gadais Père et Fils and Domaine de la Combe/ Pierre-Henri Gadais in Saint Fiacre-sur-Maine, Muscadet Sévre et Maine, Pays Nantais, with Owner/ Winemaker Christoph Gadais
Domaine Gadais Père et Fils exists as a mixed farming estate since before the French Revolution. In 1947 Louis Gadais decided to concentrate only on wine production. In 1958 they wrote history when Franck Schoonmaker, an importer of high-quality French wines paid them a visit and started to import Gadais Muscadet wines into the US.
Today, it is Christoph Gadais, fifth generation, and his son Pierre-Henri Gadais, great-grandson of two brilliant Loire winemakers (Louis Gadais in the Muscadet region and Henri Bourgeois in the Sancerre region (whom we will visit on the last day of this wine tour)), who are running the domaine.
In addition, Pierre-Henri Gadais started his own domaine, Domaine de la Combe.
Domaine Gadais Père et Fils wines are imported by Peter Weygandt and Domaine de la Combe by terresblanchewines of Cason Love in Richmond, Virginia, a former employee of Peter Weygandt.
We started with a vineyard tour, followed by a cellar tour. The visit ended with a tasting of the wines of both estates. Christoph Gadais joined us for part of the visit.
Domaine Gadais Père et Fils (Domaine Gadais Père et Fils)
The beginning of the story
A long time ago, besides their own professions,
people in rural France all farmed to provide for their families. The
polyculture that took place in the countryside at the time very often
allowed for a small amount of wine production for day-to-day
consumption.
Because of this, when we traced back our family tree
we found an ancestor who was a ploughman before the French Revolution.
But it was Louis Gadais, a gardener's son at the time, who decided in
1947 to concentrate his activity on wine production. An observant man
with an unmatched palate, and a businessman at heart, his ambition was
to do more than just produce an average wine. For him, going from
tending vines to commercial bottle sales was the realisation of his
passion. He was one of the first winemakers in Nantes to bottle his
wines: at that time, winemakers produced wine in bulk and sold it all at
the cooperative. It was only a matter of time before his wine would be
marketed and exported.
The Development of the Estate with Michel & Marcel
In 1958, Franck Schoonmaker, a
trailblazer in the importation of high-quality French wines, paid a
visit to Louis to purchase his wines. The following year, Domaine Gadais
wines were already appearing on tables in New York.
The story
continues with the arrival of Louis’ sons Michel and Marcel, who would
go on to develop the estate. The acquisition of coveted land in La
Faubretière in 1973 further improved the quality of the wines. Thanks to
low yields, contrary to the trend at the time, the quality of their
wines was recognised on an international scale, by renowned importers
such as Robert Chadderdon in the USA.
The diversification of the portfolio with Christophe
In 1994 Christophe Gadais, having returned from
work experience in Sancerre and outside of France, took the reins of the
estate and developed the production portfolio, which had until then
been composed of only one wine, a blend.
Committed to adding
value to the estate’s agricultural heritage, he decided to diversify the
portfolio. The Grande Réserve des Moulins was created in the 94
vintage: at the time, it was a selection from the terroirs of Les Masses
and La Faubretière.
The legendary cuvée Vieilles Vignes was
launched in the 96 vintage, made from vines in Ménardières, and the
Perrières Monopole launched in the 2009 vintage also contributed to the
development of a coherent and diversified range of Muscadet.
A new approach to the wines with Pierre Henri
In 2016, Pierre-Henri Gadais, son of
Christopher and, notably, great-grandson of 2 winemakers from the Loire –
Louis Gadais in the Muscadet region and Henri Bourgeois in Sancerre –
returned to the estate.
After studying viticulture and winemaking
in Burgundy and Bordeaux, he decided to travel to gain innovative
experience abroad. He travelled to California, Australia, England, and
New Zealand, but it was in Switzerland that he gained an interest in
organic and biodynamic agriculture: a new approach to wine, with the
objective of respecting raw materials and limiting interventions to
reduce the addition of sulphur.
Today, the story continues with
the construction of a semi-underground, gravity-fed cellar. There is no
shortage of projects to continually showcase our terroir, our expertise,
and our varietal wine.
In the village of Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine, on the banks of the Sèvre, not far from its union with the Maine, Pierre-Henri Gadais of Domaine de la Combe is producing some of the most exciting wines coming out of the Muscadet region today.
Descended from the Bourgeois family (Domaine Henri Bourgeois) in Sancerre on his mother’s side and the fifth generation of the Gadais family (Gadais Père et Fils) to produce wine from the rolling hills surrounding Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine, Pierre-Henri was perhaps destined to be a vigneron. In the Muscadet region the Gadais family has long been synonymous with high quality production, with legendary importers Frank Schoonmaker, Robert Chadderdon, and now Peter Weygandt bringing the wines of Gadais family to the United States.
Growing up in the vines and cellar of his father and grandfather, Pierre-Henri received quite the education from a very early age. It would have been easy to return to the family Domaine after earning his Viticulture & Enology degree in Burgundy, but Pierre-Henri chose a different path. To gain a better understanding of the international wine trade, he studied Wine Business in Bordeaux for 2 years, followed by a year in California working in wine distribution. After the completion of his studies, Pierre-Henri worked for several years as an apprentice winemaker in Australia, Switzerland, Burgundy, Pomerol, Sancerre, and back in Muscadet at Domaine de la Pépière.
Finally in 2016 he returned to Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine to work with his father Christophe at Gadais Père et Fils. However, simply coming into the family business was not enough for the talented young vigneron and soon Pierre-Henri was looking to start a project of his own. The perfect opportunity came in the form of Les Grands Presbytères, a nine-hectare Domaine started in the 1920’s by the Marzelleau family. In 2009 Nelly Marzelleau, the current generation, was looking to step back from the day to day running of Les Grands Presbytères and contracted with her neighbor, Christophe Gadais, to farm the vineyards and make the wines. From the 2009 to 2015 vintage, Christophe Gadais made the wines for the Marzelleau family under the Les Grands Presbytères label. In 2016, with the blessing of his father, Pierre-Henri purchased the vines and the cellar, rechristening it Domaine de la Combe.
Immediately Pierre-Henri began the task of enhancing the unique terroir and reorganizing the Domaine towards the production of multiple quality-oriented cuvees. He later added some adjoining parcels, bringing the total to 15 hectares. Domaine de la Combe is unique in that all the Domaine’s vines are in a single block. The vines lie within the lieu dit of La Pétière, and rest on a gentle hillside known as the Butte de la Combe. There are 3 distinct terroirs in the Butte de la Combe: orthogneiss on the summit, gneiss on the southern slopes, and schist on the northern slopes. The Domaine has a good mix of young and old vines with the oldest being planted in the 1950’s and youngest as recent as 2016. The spraying of herbicides and pesticides was stopped in 2016 and the conversion to Organic viticulture began in 2017. Work in the vines is done according to the lunar cycle and, as of the 2021 vintage, all the Domaine’s holdings are certified Organic.
In the cellar, much is done in a traditional way with vinification and long ageing on the lees in subterranean glass tanks. However, there are also notable differences. Unlike many of his counterparts in the region who inoculate with cultivated yeasts, Pierre-Henri relies solely on wild indigenous yeasts for a spontaneous, natural fermentation. Work in the cellar is done according to the lunar cycle, and only one sulfur addition is made at the completion of alcoholic fermentation. A light filtration is made prior to bottling to avoid further sulfur additions. Pierre-Henri has also begun to experiment with oak ageing (Vigne de l’Astrée), light skin contact (Vendange Nocturne), and vinification without the additional of sulfur (Zeste).
Only in his early thirties, it’s exciting to think about where Pierre-Henri will be in five, ten, and twenty years. He is constantly experimenting and pushing boundaries, but also firmly rooted in the tradition of his forebearers. It’s an honor to know Pierre-Henri Gadais and to sell his wines.
Producer Information
Domaine: Domaine de la Combe
Country: France
Region: Loire Valley
Sub Region/Commune: Muscadet (cellar and vines in the village of St-Fiacre-sur-Maine)
Size: 15 hectares
Farming: Organic
Arriving
Tasting
The Wines
Dinner at L'Océanide (Bib Gourmand Michelin) in Nantes - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at L'Instinct Gourmand in Nantes, with Owner/ Chef Sylvain le Bras - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Tour of Old Town Nantes - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Iconic Brasserie La Cigale in Nantes - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tour, Tasting and Light Lunch at Vignobles Günther Chéreau, Château du Coing, in Saint Fiacre-sur-Maine, with Owner Véronique Günther-Chéreau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Two Domaines under one Roof: Visit at Domaine Gadais Père et Fils and Domaine de la Combe/ Pierre-Henri Gadais in Saint Fiacre-sur-Maine, Muscadet Sévre et Maine, Pays Nantais, with Owner/ Winemaker Christoph Gadais - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Restaurant Les Petits Près in Angers - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard
Tour and Tasting at Château d’Épiré, AOP Savennières, Anjou, with
Owner/ Winemaker Paul Bizard - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour, Barrel Tasting and Salon Tasting at Château des Vaults, Domaine du Closel in Savennière, Anjou, with Owner/ winemaker Evelyne de Pontbriand - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Wine-pairing Lunch at Château des Vaults, Domaine du Closel in Savennière, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Evelyne de Pontbriand and Owner/ Chef Arthur Favé of Restaurant Le Chenin in Savennière - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Visit of Château Angers and the Apocalypse Tapestry (UNESCO) - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Brasserie du Ralliement in Angers - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domäne Vincendeau in Rochefort-sur-Loire, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Liv Vincendeau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with a Light Lunch at Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting and Cellar Tour at Clotilde Legrand, Domaine
Legrand, in Varrains, Anjou, with Clotilde Legrand - Loire Valley 2024
by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Restaurant L’Essentiel in Saumur - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Visit of L’ Abbey Royale de Fontevraud in Fontevraud - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at L’Orangerie Saumur in the Courtyard of the Château de Saumur - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting,
Cellar Tour and Vineyard Tour at Domaine des Roches Neuves in Varrains,
Anjou, with Next Generation Owner/ Winemaker Louis Germain and Agathe
Germain - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tour and Tasting at Maison Bouvet-Ladubay in Saumur, with Owner Juliette Monmousseau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Cave M. Plouzeau in Chinon, Touraine, with Owner/ Winemaker Marc Plouzeau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Domaine de la Haut Olive in Chinon, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Le Bistrot du Marché in Chinon - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard
Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine François Gazin, Le Petit
Chambord, in Cheverney, Touraine, with François Gazin - Loire Valley
2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Restaurant Brut Maison de
Cuisine in Blois, with Owner/ Chef Adrien Delafoy and Owner/ Chef Thomas
Gaudard - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour by Car and Tasting at Domaine Brazilier in Thoré-la-Rochette, CôteauxVendômois, Touraine, with Owner/ Winemaker Benoît Braziliery - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Le Moulin du Loir in Vendôme - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit of Château Chambord - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Tour of Château Royal de Blois - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Sunday Lunch at Restaurant La Croix Blanche (Bib Gourmand Michelin), with Owner/ Chef Jean-François Beauduin - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Visit of Château du Clos Lucé and the Leonardo-da-Vinci Park in Amboise - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner, Overnight-stay and Breakfast at Château de Pray in Amboise - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours.
Visit at Denis Meunier in Vernou-sur-Brenne, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit at Domaine des Aubuisières, Bernard Fouquet, in Vouvray, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Visit of Château Chenonceau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner and Overnight-stay at Auberge du Bon Laboureur in Chenonceau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard
Walk, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Pellé in Morogues,
Menetou-Salon, with the Export Manager Pauline Guillot - Loire Valley
2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Restaurant Fluteau in Morogues - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar
Tour and Extensive Tasting at at Domaine Alphons Mellot in Sancerre,
with Alphons Mellot - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar
Tour and Tasting at Domaine de Vrillères, SCEA in Sury-en-Vaux,
Sancerre, with Kevin Lauverjat - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar
Tour and Tasting at Domaine Tinel-Blondelet in Pouilly-sur-Loire, with
Marlène and Annick Tinel - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Restaurant/ Affineur Romain Dubois in Chavignol, with Gilles Dubois - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour, Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domaine Henri Bourgeois in Chavignol - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Wine-pairing Dinner at Le Clos du Maréchal with the Wines of Vignobles Berthier, with the Owner/ Winemaker Clément Berthier and the Chef/ Owner Nathanael Fromant - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Last Meal of the Tour: At La Coupole in Paris - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
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