Domaine Saint-Nicolas - Les Rives 2021

Thierry Michon, ably assisted by his sons Antoine and Mickaël, is a leading figure in the Vendée wine region and a pioneer of biodynamics in the area since 1993. He continues to showcase his 42 hectares of clay, schist, and quartz soils, located on the Atlantic terroir of Brem, in the Pays des Olonnes, nestled between marshes and forests. The oceanic influence lends the wines a unique, briny freshness. This exemplary estate offers a very warm welcome.

The Michon family has been growing grapes on the Île d’Olonne since 1960. Their vineyard has gradually expanded and now covers nearly forty hectares. Thierry is the driving force here, and with him there’s no rest: biodynamic farming has been practiced since 1993 across a wide range of grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Négrette, Chenin, Chardonnay, and Grolleau...). It’s as if the entire wine-growing world of France had gathered on a small island...

Thierry Michon, supported by his sons, Antoine and Mickaël, runs the only winery of international stature in the Vendée. On the little-known terroir of Brem, he owns vineyards cultivated entirely using biodynamic methods, though yields have unfortunately been low in recent years. Influenced by the ocean, the vineyard produces white wines made from Chenin and Chardonnay (with notes of yellow stone fruit and a briny finish), as well as reds made from Pinot Noir that have been aged for a long time (Jacques, La Grande Pièce), along with Gamay, Négrette, and Cabernet Franc. We are enthusiastic about these finely crafted, briny whites, but we have reservations about the reds, which are harshly structured by very advanced ripeness and heavy extraction. The wines are now classified as “Vin de France” because the Fiefs Vendéens regulations prohibit lieu-dit and single-varietal wines. How sad to see this appellation fail to recognize its leading producer!