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Growers France Loire Chateau du Coing
Growers France Loire Chateau du Coing

Chateau du Coing

Véronique and Aurore Günther-Chéreau

  • Country/Region: France, Loire
  • Farming Practice: Sustainable
  • Types: Wine
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Coing Chardonnay “Aurore”

Coing Chardonnay “Aurore”

100% Chardonnay from vines planted in 1995, fermented in tank and aged on the lees for a few months. Named for Aurore, Véronique’s daughter, who has now joined her mother to run the estate.

Coing Muscadet “Coing de Sevre”

Coing Muscadet “Coing de Sevre”

100% Melon de Bourgogne from 45-year-old vines planted on metamorphic bedrock. Aged on the lees in underground glass tanks for ten months with no stirring, in the traditional Nantais style.

Coing Muscadet “Ancestrale”

Coing Muscadet “Ancestrale”

100% Melon de Bourgogne, from a south-facing plot with gneiss subsoils. The wine is aged on the lees for a minimum of 17 months, but often much longer (40+ months).

Coing Muscadet de Sevre et Maine Sur Lie “Comte de Saint Hubert”

Coing Muscadet de Sevre et Maine Sur Lie “Comte de Saint Hubert”

100% Melon de Bourgogne kept on lees for 14 months, in underground glass-tiled vats, which are traditional to the Nantais wine region. No stirring of lees. Skin contact maceration.

About

Owners & winemakers: Véronique & Aurore Günther Chereau
Vineyards: 75ha
Vineyard management: 28ha organic, 47ha sustainable
Soils: Varied by parcel, including schist, gneiss, and gabbro
Grapes grown: Melon de Bourgogne, Chardonnay, Folle Blanche
Annual production: 50,000-350,000 bottles, depending on the vintage

Quick facts:

  • Today, Château du Coing is run by mother-and-daughter team Véronique and Aurore.
  • It’s a historic property: the first written record of the estate goes back to 1536.
  • Véronique was an early proponent of the “Crus Communaux,” and the estate continues to vinify and bottle individual plots separately to showcase the diversity and ageability of Muscadet.

Véronique Gunther-Chereau has headed Château du Coing since taking over for her father in 1989. The property dates to the 15th century, and the family have been inheritors of the estate for three generations. Originally called Château du Coin (“castle of the corner”) in reference to its location at the joining of the Sevre and Maine rivers, the name was changed to “castle of the quince” to sound more regal, or at least palatable. The proximity of the two rivers creates a cooler microclimate in the area, and closer to the confluence, the vineyards are planted on south-facing hillsides, a rarity in the region.

Since Véronique’s ascendancy, the Gunther-Chereaus consolidated their vineyard holdings and enlarged the acreage under vine. Her daughter, Aurore, joined her mother at the wineryin 2011 after completing her studies in oenology, bringing fresh energy and new perspectives. They recently began converting to organic viticulture, building on their longstanding practice of limiting inputs and favoring mechanical work of the soils.

Véronique has always been a proponent of the Cru Communaux and ageability in the wines of Muscadet. She was an early pioneer of long aging on the lees in large volume without stirring to give Melon de Bourgogne structure and character. The wines are aged in large underground glass tanks, as is traditional in the Nantes region. Each plot is vinified separately in order to showcase the diversity between the different terroirs.

Château du Coing has been a part of WCW since the beginning and feels like an old friend, with wines of freshness, subtlety, and intrigue.

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