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A Mineral Odyssey

Clos des Orfeuilles is a vineyard above all else, 18.5 hectares of vines located in Le Pallet, near the city of Nantes, in the heart of the Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine appellation.

The unique terroir made an impression on the Castel Family, who acquired the property in 2007 with a view to contributing to the Muscadet appellation’s renaissance. While today the style and quality of the property’s wines are widely recognised, this is in no small part a result of the family’s response to the challenges taken up over a decade ago.

At Clos des Orfeuilles, the Muscadet renaissance is a Mineral Odyssey, with the vineyard owing its quality to the local geology. Terroirs of schist,and micaschiste, gneiss and orthogneiss, alongside reasonably sized deposits of quartz and amphibolite, offer remarkable diversity and quality. This geological mosaic covers four distinct plots, each of which constitutes its own unique terroir and character.

With such a remarkable mosaic of soils, there is no need for an elaborate blend of grape varieties to provide the wine with its complexity. At Clos des Orfeuilles, a single variety is planted: Melon de Bourgogne. Over centuries, this variety has made the vineyards around the city of Nantes its home, with the Clos des Orfeuilles terroir bringing out each and every one of its qualities. The inimitable lightness of its touch and freshness of its flavour, its vivacity and characteristic citrus notes, and of course its extraordinary minerality and signature saline hints.

Clos des Orfeuilles
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie

A clear bright colour, an inimitable straw yellow.

The nose is intense and complex, with exotic fruits, citrus and aniseed.
Richness on the palette, with no loss of freshness, minerality at its apogee.

Blending exoticism and tranquillity, Clos des Orfeuilles offers persistant aromatic complexity, and a long finish.

  • 93 pts – International Wine Challenge – Vintage 2019
  • 90 pts – Decanter World Wine Awards – Vintage 2019
  • 90 pts – Decanter – Vintage 2017
A glass of Clos des Orfeuilles wine

Certified Organic since 2012

Naturally, Clos des Orfeuilles’ exceptional terroir commands the utmost respect. While the ancient rocks that make up its soils have survived for centuries, the ecosystem they sustain cannot be taken for granted. It is for this reason that upon their acquisition of the property, the Castel family made the decision to establish the most sustainable winegrowing practices possible.

Clos des Orfeuilles began its organic conversion at the end of 2008, with a small four hectare plot. Herbicides were abandoned in favour of grass cover between the rows of vines and manual tillage. These practices, which preserve the soils’ natural vitality, soon bore fruit, and were rapidly applied to the rest of the vineyard.

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This holistic approach is founded on profound respect for the soil as a living organism, enabling Clos des Orfeuilles to display the Organic Certification (AB) on its bottle since the 2012 vintage.