Domaine de la Chauvinière

The Huchet family has worked vineyards in Château-Thébaud for several generations, with Bruno Huchet leading the estate through the 1980s and 1990s. Jérémie Huchet, his son, took over in 2002 and quickly committed to a parcellary terroir approach that mirrored the work of Pépière, de l'Ecu, and Landron in Sèvre et Maine. The estate expanded its plantings to include parcels in Le Pallet and Goulaine alongside the home base at Château-Thébaud, giving it bottlings in three of the ten Crus Communaux recognized within the appellation since 2011. Jérémie was elected president of the Muscadet trade body Interloire in 2017 and has been a prominent advocate for the cru framework.

• Several generations of the Huchet family in Château-Thébaud at the southern edge of Sèvre et Maine
• Jérémie Huchet took over from his father Bruno in 2002
• Expanded plantings into Le Pallet and Goulaine to give bottlings in three of ten recognized crus
• Elected president of the regional trade body Interloire in 2017

The estate's signature parcel sits on a steep south-facing slope above the Maine river, planted to Melon de Bourgogne on a thin layer of weathered granite over the underlying Armorican Massif bedrock. The Granit de Château-Thébaud bottling, vinified and aged separately under the Cru Communal framework, requires 24 months of sur lie aging in underground glass-lined vats, yields of 45 hl/ha, and minimum 11% ABV. The resulting wine is tense, vertical, and high-toned, with citrus zest, white flowers, and a saline mineral spine that distinguishes it from the more rounded gabbro-grown Gorges bottlings of nearby Bregeon and Lailler.

• Granit de Château-Thébaud sits on a steep south-facing slope above the Maine river
• Thin weathered granite over the underlying Armorican Massif bedrock
• Cru Communal Château-Thébaud requires 24 months sur lie, 45 hl/ha, 11% ABV minimum
• Tense, vertical, high-toned style distinct from the rounder gabbro Gorges wines

The estate carries HVE3 (Haute Valeur Environnementale, third level) certification, which combines biodiversity protection, integrated pest management, and limited synthetic input use. Biodynamic preparations 500 and 501 are applied on the principal Cru Communal parcels even though the estate is not certified Demeter. Hand harvest, native yeast fermentation, and bottling directly off the lees without racking are standard across the range. The underground glass-lined vats, a Sèvre et Maine signature, hold the wines unracked through the cru-mandated 17 to 24 month sur lie period and preserve aromatic detail without the oak imprint of barrel aging.

• HVE3 certified (high environmental value) with biodynamic preparations on principal cru parcels
• Hand harvest, native yeast fermentation, bottling off the lees without racking
• Underground glass-lined vats hold wines unracked through 17 to 24 month sur lie periods
• Aromatic detail preserved without oak imprint, consistent with Sèvre et Maine tradition

Jérémie Huchet also runs the family's Maison Vincent négociant line, which produces a substantial range of Crémant de Loire and Loire Cab Franc reds. The Crémant program uses Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Grolleau from purchased fruit across the Loire, with at least 12 months on the lees in bottle for the standard cuvées and 24 months for the prestige bottlings. The négociant arm extends the estate's relevance beyond Muscadet and into the broader Loire sparkling-wine market, where Crémant de Loire AOC has grown rapidly as a value-priced alternative to Champagne over the last two decades.

• Maison Vincent négociant line under Jérémie Huchet's direction
• Crémant de Loire from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Grolleau across the Loire
• Minimum 12 months on the lees in bottle for standard cuvées, 24 months for prestige bottlings
• Extends the estate's relevance into the broader Loire sparkling market beyond Muscadet

Chauvinière represents the second generation of Sèvre et Maine parcellary work, with Jérémie Huchet taking up the cru framework his older peers helped build. Where the founding generation (Bregeon, Pépière, de l'Ecu, Landron) made the case for Muscadet terroir from the inside through stubborn long-cellar bottlings, Huchet has worked through both production and institutional advocacy. His presidency of Interloire and his three Cru Communaux bottlings give the estate an unusual reach across the appellation, and the Granit de Château-Thébaud is now widely regarded as the leading expression of granite-grown Melon de Bourgogne in Sèvre et Maine.

• Second generation of Sèvre et Maine parcellary work, building on the Bregeon-Pépière-Landron framework
• Presidency of Interloire (since 2017) gives institutional reach across the Loire trade body
• Three Cru Communaux bottlings (Château-Thébaud, Le Pallet, Goulaine) cover unusual breadth
• Granit de Château-Thébaud is widely regarded as the leading granite-grown Melon de Bourgogne in Sèvre et Maine