Pierre Goiset

September 18, 2023 - Featured Winemaker - No comment

Pierre Goiset, back to Muscadet

  Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine, Muscadet

Pierre Goiset traded Saint-Etienne and the Rhône terroirs for a new life as a winemaker in Muscadet in 2021. Since then, he has encountered a series of challenges, from frosty vineyards to the nuances of tractor work and the understated charm of the Nantes countryside.

Firstly, Wine

Initially drawn to winemaking by the desire for something more, Pierre, a rare neo-vigneron in the Nantes region, transitioned from his background in Saint-Etienne, where he spent his early adult years as a cameraman for institutional films. Feeling a bit restless, he embarked on part-time vineyard work in 2013, exploring a passion that eventually led him to the world of natural wines.

Despite the cultural allure of city life, Pierre found solace in a local natural wine bar run by volunteers. "I got into it too. At first, I didn't like it much," confesses Pierre. "Ah, I had plenty of revelations and questions," especially when discovering wines from Ardèche. He considered settling in Beaujolais but found the region too wild for his taste.

Next, le Muscadet

In 2021, Pierre, along with his small family, settled in Muscadet, specifically in Saint-Fiace-sur-Maine, situated 30 minutes south of Nantes. It was a move to the "modest countryside," as Pierre puts it, lacking the grandeur of some vineyards or the wild ambiance of Beaujolais. However, it was here that he found a home for his family, with space for a cellar, and, most importantly, 3.13 hectares of vineyards (2.6 hectares of melon b. and 55 ares of merlot) for sale at the confluence of the Sèvre Nantaise and the Maine. One plot sits on orthogneiss and quartz, and another on granite. From his vines, the monumental viewpoint of Château-Thébaud is visible to those familiar with the area. "It's a return to the land... I'm also fulfilling my father's dream, who would have liked to settle but never took the leap."

The Horse and the Tractor

Transitioning to Muscadet, Pierre faced a significant shift in his winemaking approach. In 2021, for his first vintage, he operated without a tractor, grappling with the intricacies of soil work, grass management, and the unique climate of Nantes. "A straddle tractor (the only one that can drive in Muscadet) is quite expensive," he notes. Despite the financial challenges, Pierre preferred the use of horses, a technique for which he received training. However, he had to relinquish his spirited mount and hire a service provider. For treatments (copper, sulfur, infusions, etc.), he relied on a "wheelbarrow," a rudimentary contraption resembling a tiller with four nozzles, which proved to be quite cumbersome.

Result: "In 2022, I acquired a straddle tractor and changed my approach," Pierre reveals. The horse returned, covering 1.5 hectares, and Pierre doubled his vigilance in managing his soils and diseases. But the winemaker remains realistic: "Agronomically, I'm a bit behind. We read a lot, like needing to have grass, not working the soil, etc. In reality, it's not that simple."

Rough Beginnings

Pierre, like many new winemakers, quickly learned the unpredictable nature of his profession, heavily influenced by the whims of the weather. In 2021, frost affected his vineyards, a widespread issue for French winemakers that year. Yields were minimal, reaching only 13 hl/ha on average, far below his target of 30 hl/ha. In 2022, he achieved a more promising yield of 25 hl/ha.

Looking ahead to 2023, Pierre remains optimistic about further progress (#everythingisfinesofar). However, he understands the importance of envisioning a future beyond the immediate. Pierre dreams of restructuring his vineyard, introducing different grape varieties, and possibly hybrids to eliminate the need for excessive vine treatments. His aspiration is to have grape varieties that can bear fruit after frost.

Natural Wine Objectives

In terms of winemaking, Pierre's focus is on producing natural wines. Despite his cautious approach, he acknowledges, "I'm not ready to give up the crutch of sulfur yet." In his first vintage, he added sulfur: 25 mg/L in total, falling below the thresholds of the Vin Méthode Nature label. "I love quirky wines... but I think I wouldn't own it. And I need to love my wine to sell it." While practicing organic methods in the vineyard, Pierre refrains from filtering and using yeast, adhering to the fundamentals of natural winemaking. "I went from something very structured to something very grassroots. I'm still learning."

Pierre's wines from the 2021 vintage comprised only 4500 bottles, featuring two melon b. cuvées, Mauguit (named after a plot), and Querry, along with a rosé, a red, and a sparkling. Despite their ultra-confidential volumes and "capsule" presentation, these wines successfully launched Pierre into winemaking and commerce. In 2022, increased volumes allowed him to introduce A Tâton, a parcel cuvée, expanding his range. Tasting (and drinking) these wines reveals a new dimension of Muscadet and offers a promising preview of the Nantes vineyard's future.

Les cuvées from Pierre Goiset

  Red wines from Pierre Goiset

• "Grande Falaise," merlot, will be bottled for summer 2023. A wine of pleasure with a silky touch.

  White wines from Pierre Goiset

• "Querry," a parcel melon b.
• "La Mauguit," a melon b. from a plot of orthogneiss and quartz, aged on lees for 6 months. It offers freshness, a lemony nose as it should, with a lovely richness and highlighted tannins.
• "A Tâtons," 100% melon (vines from the 1960s) on a granite terroir that imparts aniseed notes.
• "Peau à peau," a macerated melon b., a novelty from 2022.

  Rosé wines from Pierre Goiset

Contact Pierre Goiset