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Organic farming, clean viticulture, what are our choices ?

We do not want to join an organic seal of approval because we consider that an accumulation of copper in our soils would be very harmful on the long range. However, our way to cultivate the vine goes further than the « reasonnable » one, ie. : We have NOT used CHEMICAL FERTILIZER for over 40 years and we do NOT use HERBICIDE, NOR INSECTICIDE since 2002 !

Working our soils is crucial. It allows us for more than 30 years now, to favour the good development and the own character of each of our soils which are Flint, Portlandian limestone and Kimmeridgian marls. We use bare necessities of fungicides adding them to natural stimulators.

Pierre-François Masson, 7th generation of wine-growers at the Estate refuses the ready-made thinking.
This passionned man in his thirties, gardener and beekeeper when it comes, installed an insects hotel in a vine of one hectare of Pouilly-Fumé situated in the heart of the village to preserve the wintry survival of the insects useful for the pollination.

Hotel à insectes construit par Pierre-Francois Masson installé au coeur du vignoble de Pouilly-FuméInsects hotel built by Pierre-Francois Masson installed in the heart of the vineyard of Pouilly-Fumé

Hotel à insectes dans les vignes du Domaine Masson-BlondeletInsects hotel installed in Masson-Blondelet’s vines.

Pierre also installed hives in its personal kitchen garden, cultivated the same way as our vines, without weed-killer, nor insecticide, or fertiliser, in order to find a shelter for the bees, daily disappearing… This year, they are around a month ahead comparing to the past year.

Ruche installée par Pierre-François Masson à Pouilly sur Loire pour encourager la survie des abeilles.Hive installed by Pierre-François Masson in Pouilly sur Loire in order to encourage the survival of the bees.

At the cellar, our philosophy in terms of wine making process is to privilege physical treatments in order to banish the chemical ones (even the softest) and to use the less suffer as possible.
That is why we work with three main principles : The use of gravity (cellar half burried, built on three levels), the use of cold settling and the keeping of the fermentation CO2.
Our wish is to equip ourselves with the most reliable means as well as privileging human intervention, which is the only responsible for “the soul of the wine”.

We put a lot of ourselves in our vine culture and we are looking for perfection in our wine-making processes. So, we are proud that they bear our name, and that they please their final wine taster.

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FIAAC 2014 in Pouilly from 1st to 4th May 2014

We are now « authorised » to reveal the identity if the artist we have chosen to show at the Estate Masson-Blondelet for the second International Fair of Contemporary Art in the Estates of Pouilly- Fumé, which will take place from the 1st to the 4th of May 2014 in Pouilly-sur Loire. It is Diane de Cicco, from whom you can see some work below, and see some more on her website.

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But what is FIAAC en Pouilly-Fumé ?

In 2013, the first edition was dedicated to contemporary painting untitled  : White and Colours.

Nineteen Pouilly-Fumé wine-growers (like Masson-Blondelet Estate ) were exposing nineteen artists chosen for the strenght of their work. Locals, nationals ou from abroad, those artists are representatives of the great streams of today’s painting : abstraction lyric, chromatic or gestural, neo-figuration, gross art , neo-support-surface.

Artists and wine-growers are present all together in the estates for the duration of the  FIAAC in Pouilly-Fumé, this year from the 1st to the 4th of May 2014. The first ones to introduce and sell their work, and the second ones to make discover their vintages and their cuvées.

At the same time, the Pouilly-Fumé Tower and the Caveau des vignerons ( wine-grower estate), both placed at the heart of the village of  Pouilly-sur-Loire, few steps away from  Masson-Blondelet estate,  hosting a collective exhibition from the nineteen invited artists.

A new appointment not to be missed for art and Pouilly-Fumé amateurs and works and flasks collectors !  See you soon…

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Harvest 2013 in Pouilly

  • Harvest 2013 in Pouilly

For us, the harvest 2013 in Pouilly took place from Monday 7th to Sunday 13th of October included. 7 days! We never harvest that fast, this to avoid the rains that followed on the next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday…
Pierre, who had ordered a 3rd pneumatic press this year for maximum efficiency at the cellar, really appreciated this purchase which happened at the right moment, so he could assert himself and follow a rythm until then never reached at the cellar ( all of this of course, keeping a very long press duration of weak pressure : 3h45 from 0,15 to 1,75 bars) but especially to bring in the harvest in its entirety by dry weather , which was not that way everywhere in that vintage year 2013, demanding, but successful !

  • Les Pierres de Pierre 2012 mentioned as a success in RVF (Revue du Vin de France, n°572, June 2013, Special Vintage 2012)
  • New GOLD MEDAL for our Pouilly-Fumé 2012 obtained during the last worldwide competition of Sauvignon 2013.
  • During the last competition of Great Wines of France which took place in Mâcon the past 20th of April, our Pouilly Fumé “les Angelots” 2012 obtained a GOLD MEDAL!

Domaine Masson-Blondelet - Concours des Grands Vins de France 2013 - Medaille d'or

  • Bronze medal for our white Sancerre Thauvenay 2012 and Silver medal for our Pouilly Fumé 2012 in the famous British Competition IWC: International Wine Challenge 2013.
Domaine Masson-Blondelet - International Wine Challenge 2013 - Médaille de BronzeDomaine Masson-Blondelet - International Wine Challenge 2013 - Médaille d'Argent

 

  • In the past month of March, DECANTER, the famous British monthly magazine that should not be missed dedicated to the worldwide wines awarded the mark of 18,5/20 pts so 95/100 to our Pouilly Fumé Villa Paulus 2010
    • Meet Pierre and Mélanie from Domaine Masson-Blondelet at the next PRO WEIN fair in Düsseldorf from 23th to 25th March 2014 !
      You will find us The Loire Valley Wines area, on Sopexa space, Hall 5, (stand number to come).
      We look forward to meeting your there !
Domaine Masson-Blondelet - They Trust Us
  • Our Sancerre Blanc Thauvenay 2010 was quoted in SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE, dated Feb 2013, “Small is Beautiful”
  • Jacqueline FRIEDRICH, just finished a book on “The Kindgom of Sauvignon Blanc” : Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé & satellites, named “Earthly delights from the garden of France”, Masson-Blondelet is “Highly recommended”Read More
  • Jim BUDD, famous British wine writer and journalist, came by surprise for a juce tasting during the harvest… Read More
  • Medal in Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2011 :

SILVER for Pouilly-Fumé “Villa Paulus” 2010

  • Domaine Masson-Blondelet appears in Guide du Routard 2011.
  • Domaine Masson-Blondelet appears in Le Petit Futé 2011.
  • Masson-Blondelet appears in lesthe “Top Producers” in Roger Voss’s article, published on the 6 Avril 2011 : Decode the Wines of the Loire ValleyRead More
  • Two Medals in Concours des Grands Vins de France de Mâcon 2009 :

GOLD for Pouilly-Fumé “Villa Paulus” 2008
SILVER for Red Sancerre “Thauvenay” 2007

  • Two Medals in Concours Général Agricole de Paris 2008 :

SILVER for Pouilly-Fumé “Villa Paulus” 2007
GOLD for White Sancerre “Thauvenay” 2007