Type

White Wine

Appellation

Vin de France

Variety

100% Chenin Blanc

This exceptional cuvée is produced only in the very best 2 to 3 vintages in a given decade, composed of both late harvest and botrytized grapes rigorously selected from the vineyard at their highest possible levels of ripeness. After approximately 36 months of oak ageing, the Grand Passerillé strikes a beautiful balance between maturity, acidity, and longevity. This wine can be kept for well over a lifetime, saved for the most special of occasions.

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

Produced only 2 to 3 times per decade, this exceptional cuvée comes from a selection of raisined and botrytized grapes; the successive harvests may even extend into early December. Rigorous sorting before pressed. The wine matures on fine lees for 24 to 36 months in 400L oak barrels. Residual sugar is around 30-40 g/L.

Harvest typeHand Harvested

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...