Type

Sparkling Wine

Appellation

Vin de France

Variety

100% Pineau d'Aunis

The cuvée Amour is a rare glimpse into sparkling reds of the Loire, only produced in the best 2 or 3 vintages of each decade. Pineau d’Aunis comes into its own, revealing brilliant spiced and delicately perfumed notes after both 6 months of oak ageing on lees and a minimum of 3 years of bottle ageing on slats.

Viticulture

Soil type

Jasnières: clay, limestone, and flint over chalky tuffeau. Sprinklings of microcrystalline quartz.

Vine ageMajority of domaine vines planted in 1903. Vine age varies by parcel; plantings date to 1903, 1933, 1947, and 1984.

ExpositionSouth

Vinification

After destemming and rigorous sorting, the grapes undergo a short maceration to allow a saignée of 18-24 hours. Sulfur use is minimal.

ElevageAged for a minimum of 3 years on lees, 6 months in 600-liter 6-year-old oak barrels, and 6 months in tank.

Harvest typeHand Harvested

Fining/FilteringUnfiltered, or at most gently filtered.

More about
the producer

Métais-Nagata

Founded in 1976

3 hectares

Jean-Bernard Métais is an unusual figure in French wine. Known internationally as a sculptor whose monumental works are exhibited from Le Mans to Seoul, he is also the 20th generation of his family to tend vineyards in Jasnières. In 1976, upon finishing his studies at Beaux-Arts de Paris, Jean-Bernard returned to Courdemanche and began vinifying the family vines — a lineage that dates back to the 16th century.

Jean-Bernard works alongside his wife, Keiko Nagata, and their children Akito and Sola Métais-Nagata, who have recently joined as the twenty-first generation. Together, the family runs the domaine in rare harmony, each bringing their own sensitivity to the wines. The Métais family story is remarkable even in a region steeped in history: in 1740, a royal decree from L...