In the vineyard, we strive to bring out the best in our terroir, which is both Loire and Nantes. This quest is achieved through advanced agro-ecological practices aimed at balance and diversity.
The notion of terroir is the essence of our thinking and the basis of our actions. We approach our terroir in its geographical dimension, obviously, due to its immediate proximity to the Loire, but also to the Atlantic Ocean.
Our terroir is also a place where we live and work every day. It’s made up of the men and women who nurture it, on a living soil that gives us the best, in a rich and diverse environment.
Our terroir is the combination of our winemaking know-how, production techniques, soil, topography, climate, biodiversity and landscape.
Geography
Just outside Nantes, Domaine Les Trois Toits is ideally located in the commune of Vertou, renowned for its wine-growing tradition. This geographical position in the heart of the city connects us to the local people and life. Part of the estate is being developed in a context of urban agriculture, which allows us to take on major environmental challenges.
Climate
Situated in the west of France, in the Pays de la Loire region, the town of Vertou enjoys a temperate oceanic climate. This type of climate is characterised by moderate temperatures, fairly regular rainfall throughout the year and the absence of extreme seasons.
However, climate change has made itself felt in recent years, with long periods of drought, abnormally high temperatures in summer and a drying easterly wind regime. We are incorporating these changes into our agricultural thinking and practices in order to adapt rather than fight.
Soil
Our soils are rich and varied in texture and orientation. The bedrock is made up of more or less weathered micaschist: the foundations of the Armorican massif are emerging, giving us diversity and minerality. On the surface, the aeolian silts are rich in quartz. These soils are easy to work and allow the vines to grow deep into the soil, allowing the roots to capture the minerals in the subsoil.
Plants
Close to the river Sèvre, the estate benefits from a varied environment. Forest and woodland adjoin our plots. Cattle meadows allow us to benefit from the presence of animals and the influence of the peerage. There are many hedgerows planted with lime trees, elms, cherry trees, hawthorns and other wild plum trees, providing great diversity.
Grape varieties
Melon B., also known as Melon de Bourgogne, is the dominant grape variety in our vineyard. It is the grape variety of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation, part of the Vins de Loire family. Alongside it, we grow Folle Blanche, which produces the famous Gros Plant du Pays Nantais, as well as macerated and sparkling wines using the traditional method.
These two grape varieties are endemic to the region and form part of the Nantes heritage, of which we are proud.
In order to diversify our offer and highlight the assets of our terroir, we have planted Gamay, Côt (Malbec) and Merlot. These grape varieties produce red grapes on a south-facing slope and produce magnificent red wines, matured with precision and ambition.
Finally, to adapt to the current climate and invest for the future, we are replanting resistant varieties such as Vidal, Sélénor, Villard Blanc, Villard Noir and Chambourcin.
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🇫🇷 Vive les vacances avec un bon bulletin de note pour ce deuxième trimestre : un 87 pour Phileas et un 90 pour notre La Haye Fouassière, décerné par le très prestigieux @wine_spectator.
Pas de conseil de classe pour recevoir les félicitations, mais nous sommes tout de même très fiers et chanceux de figurer sur ce palmarès.
🇺🇸 Long live the vacations with a good report card for this second quarter: an 87 for Phileas and a 90 for our La Haye Fouassière, awarded by the highly prestigious Winespectator.
No class council to receive the congratulations, but we`re still very proud and lucky to be on this list.
#lestroistois #vertou #winemaker #vigneronindependant #nantes #muscadet #vinsdeloire #vignoblenantais #vinsdenantes @les_extra_terrestres @vertou @muscadetvinsdenantes
🇫🇷 Ce lundi 14 avril est un jour fondateur pour l`avenir résilient du domaine : sur un sol régénéré, non labouré en profondeur, nous plantons Melon B., Abouriou, Villard noir et Selenor, un mix de cépage historique et identitaire, de cépage rustique et de cépage résistant.
Cette plantation est intégrée dans le parc de La Ville au Blanc que nous remettons en paysage depuis deux ans désormais. Ces vignes, dans leur diversité, vont nous permettre de produire dans un environnement climatique changeant tout en gardant notre identité ligérienne.
Cette plantation est l`aboutissement d`un long travail de fond mené avec l`équipe de paysagiste @laplumeetlesecateur, ainsi qu`avec les @pepinieres_mercier et Gentié.
Nous remercions sincèrement l`accompagnement professionnel qu`ils nous ont apporté et les échanges visionnaires que nous avons eus.
🇺🇸 This Monday, April 14, is a founding day for the resilient future of the estate: on regenerated soil, not ploughed in depth, we plant Melon B., Abouriou, Villard noir and Selenor, a mix of historical and identity grape varieties, hardy grape varieties and resistant grape varieties.
This plantation is part of the La Ville au Blanc park, which we`ve been restoring to landscape for two years now. The diversity of these vines will enable us to produce in a changing climatic environment while retaining our Loire identity.
This planting is the culmination of a long and in-depth project carried out with the landscaping team La Plume et le Sécateur, and the nurserymen Mercier and Gentié.
We sincerely thank them for their professional support and the visionary discussions we had.
#lestroistois #vertou #winemaker #vigneronindependant #domaineviticole #agriculturebiologique #nantes #cepages #vinbio #terroir #villeaublanc #cepagesresistants @villedevertou
🇫🇷 Pète et Gros-Pète sont dans un bateau ; Pète tombe à l`eau. Qui est-ce qui reste ⁉️
Gros-Pète...
Et oui, notre Gros Plant du Pays Nantais nous accompagne fidèlement et nous permet de remporter une médaille d`or au concours des vins de Vertou.
Compagnonne résistante, la Folle Blanche menée autrefois en mode sur productif, nous offre aujourd`hui tous ses atouts : débourrement tardif, bois dur, feuillage épais, acidité naturelle, ...
On adore cette rusticité unique que l`on habille en vin tranquille en macération et en bulles.
🇺🇸 Pète and Gros-Pète are in a boat; Pète falls overboard. Who`s left ⁉️
Gros-Pète...
And yes, our Gros Plant du Pays Nantais is our faithful companion, helping us win a gold medal at the Vertou wine competition.
A hardy companion, Folle Blanche was once over-produced, but now offers us all its assets: late budding, hard wood, thick foliage, natural acidity...
We love this unique rusticity, which we dress up in still wine, maceration and bubbles.
📷 @paul.stefanaggi
#lestroistois #vignoblenantais #winemaker #paysnantais #vinnature #petnat #petillantnaturel #folleblanche #produitslocaux #vertou
🇫🇷 Prendre de la hauteur, s`élever ... 🌳
Voilà ce que l`on va proposer à nos vignes dans les prochains mois et année sur notre secteur de la Ville au Blanc.
En s`inspirant de la nature originelle de la vigne et dans une quête de qualité hors productivisme, nous allons marier la vigne à l`arbre.
Nous n`inventons rien ; les Etrusques l`ont mené avant nous avec une conduite dite `arbusive de la vigne`.
Pour notre part, nous utiliserons les beaux sujets que les friches nettoyées nous ont offerts, ainsi que la lisière des bois que l`on sanctuarise.
Nous allons ainsi réinventer notre manière de travailler et réinventer notre vin.
🇺🇸 Climbing, rising ...
That`s what we`re going to propose to our vines in the coming months and years in our Ville au Blanc sector.
Inspired by the vine`s original nature, and in a quest for quality that`s free from productivism, we`re going to marry the vine with the tree.
We`re not inventing anything; the Etruscans did it before us, with what they called “shrubby vine management”.
For our part, we`re going to make use of the beautiful subjects that the cleaned-up wasteland has offered us, as well as the edges of the woods that we`re making sanctuary for.
We`re going to reinvent our way of working and reinvent our wine.
#lestroistois #vertou #winemaker #vigneronindependant #nantes #agroecologie #vitiforesterie #villeaublanc #agricultureresponsable @les_extra_terrestres @villedevertou
🇫🇷 Tous en formation ! 🌱
Depuis 2021, nous avons investi pour renouveler notre encépagement et gagner en résilience. Nous avons donc désormais 3.5 ha de ceps en formation !
Cela signifie que nous taillons les ceps, non pas pour optimiser la production de raisin de l`année, mais pour implanter le plant au mieux et le former pour une belle résistance pour les années futures.
Un travail de patience, d`observation et de prise de décisions dont les futures générations bénéficieront.
1 - Cep de Gamay en année 4, planté en avril 2021 en belle capacité de production
2 - Cep de Folle Blanche en année 3, planté en avril 2022, en pleine vigueur
3 - Cep de Melon en année 2, planté en avril 2023 prêt à nous offrir une demi-vendange
4 - Cep de Melon B. planté en mai 2024, ayant souffert d`excès d`eau
🇺🇸 All in creation!
Since 2021, we`ve been investing to renew our vine stock and gain in resilience. We now have 3.5 ha of vines in creation!
This means that we prune the vines, not to optimize the year`s grape production, but to establish the plant in the best possible position and train it for resilience in future years.
It`s a job of patience, observation and decision-making that will benefit future generations.
1 - Gamay vine in year 4, planted in April 2021 with good production capacity
2 - Folle Blanche vine in year 3, planted in April 2022, in full vigor
3 - Cep of Melon in year 2, planted in April 2023, ready to offer us a half harvest.
4 - Cep of Melon B. planted in May 2024, having suffered from excess water”.
#lestroistois #vertou #winemaker #vigneronindependant #nantes #vigne #agricultureresponsable #cep
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