We have been great fans of the beautifully crafted Vezelay wines of the La Cadette for some time after first noticing them on the wine list at iconic Paris restaurant Le Chateaubriand. We have visited Jean and Catherine Montanet and their son Valentin on a number of occasions since then in the small village of St Pére near Vézelay and have always been inspired by the quality of their wines and the precision of the winemaking.
There are three businesses which they operate. La Soeur Cadette is the umbrella name for their business and the wines are all made by Valentin Montanet.
The names of the three Vézelay wines – La Cadette Vézelay La Châtelaine, Montanet-Thoden Vézelay Galerne and La Sœur Cadette Vézelay – reflect the three different prongs of the Montanets’ enterprise.
Domaine de la Cadette was created by Jean Montanet and his wife Catherine in the late 1980s when they began to plant vines in their small village of Saint-Père, close to Vézelay.
Mentored by Bernard Raveneau and inspired to make natural wine by Marcel Lapierre, from the beginning Jean and Catherine’s wines were notable for the drinkability and, in the whites, saline minerality.
We’re sure their wines are an important part of the story which saw Vézelay relatively recently recognised as a village level appellation, with the same status as Pommard, Volnay and other hallowed names, but only for white wines.
It’s a recognition of the effect of the Kimmeridgian limestone which features, with clay, in these vineyards, which are not too far from Chablis.
Wines with the label La Cadette are from these vines that were part of the original Domaine de la Cadette. As well as the La Châtelaine, which we have in this release, another white Vézelay, Les Saulniers, is also part of these original planting as well as the red wines Ermitage and Champs-Cadet.
In 2000 Catherine Montanet established a new domaine in partnership with a Dutch friend Tom Thoden, consisting in part of vines which had been in Catherine’s family. Called Montanet-Thoden it consists now of 8 hectares of somewhat similar limestone and clay terroir (its clay is slightly heavier than the Domaine de la Cadette soils and so it retains what little water there was slightly more effectively), planted predominantly with Chardonnay, which is used to make the cuvée Vézelay Galerne. The second Montanet-Thoden cuvée, made from Pinot Noir, is Garance.
The third label in the family triumvirate is La Sœur Cadette – the name for the third Vézelay wine. As well as now being the name of the umbrella business, La Sœur Cadette (the sister of Cadette) was created as a négoce label for wines made from purchased grapes.
Initially this was for wines made with local grapes, most particularly a Melon de Bourgogne we have had many times but, like many Burgundy vignerons, the Montanets have expanded the négoce to other regions as insurance against continuing disasters, most particularly late frosts. The frosts are so much more damaging now because the winters are warmer and the flowering more advanced. This is a négoce cuvée from highly-prized terroir.
These domaines practice organic viticulture, use no pesticides or herbicides in the vineyard and no additives in the winemaking process. The grapes are fermented using only the naturally occurring yeasts from the vineyards.
If you visit St Pére you can’t miss their public cellar door just at the entrance to the village. At various times of the year, especially in summer they have soirees in an adjacent wine bar. They advertise them on the facebook page for Le Pied dans Le Plat.
You can check the availability of these Cadette wines on our page which lists wines that are currently available here.
La Cadette Vézelay La Châtelaine 2023
La Châtelaine is one of La Cadette’s best cuvées made from the only permitted white grape variety in the newly upgraded Vézelay appellation, namely Chardonnay.
The appellation was previously Bourgogne Vézelay but was promoted to Vézelay due to the superior quality of the white wines in this region.
La Cadette Vézelay La Châtelaine 2023 is an estate wine, aged predominantly in tanks, but 20% in old barrels and a part in foudre, all on lees for 8-10 months.
The wine is a blend of grapes from different estate vineyards around Saint-Père, selected for the light, shallow clay / limestone soil. The vines are between 25 and 30 years old. The vineyards are oriented from south-east to south-west.
From the relatively new Chardonnay-only Vézelay appellation, for the first time it has been bottled without filtration. Such as been the demand for this vintage of La Châtelaine that this is our third shipment. Certified organic.13.5% ABV.
RRP: $65 (SOLD OUT)
La Cadette Vézelay La Piècette 2023
La Piècette is an estate Chardonnay and the only white wine which has traditionally been aged in barrels. It is named for the type of barrel used, a “pièce”, which is similar in size to a typical Burgundy barrel but slightly stockier.
The grapes are sourced from all of the domaine’s Chardonnay vineyards so there is a wide variety of soils and expositions.
They are in the communes of Asquins, St Père, Tharoiseau, and Vézelay.
The grapes are pressed using a pneumatic press, and after settling are transferred to oak barrels, where they undergo fermentation. Aging was for 8 months prior to bottling.
Small amounts of sulphites were added after alcoholic and malolactic fermentation was completed and at bottling. It was not filtered. Certified organic. 13.5% ABV.
RRP: $67 (SOLD OUT)
La Cadette Bourgogne Vézelay Les Saulniers 2020
Les Saulniers is another white cuvée made entirely from Chardonnay.
The Les Saulniers vineyard is a beautiful parcel of land situated on an old road once used by salt smugglers, who extracted contraband salt from the water at the nearby “Fontaines Salées”. The vines are beautifully tended and show strength from their organic treatment.
This wine was bottled after spending approximately six months in vats.
It has a liveliness and freshness that is very appealing for such an elegant wine. The finish is very long and interesting.
It is one of the best Chardonnay wines from the northern area of Burgundy that we have tried. It has elegance, flavour, a beautiful acid backbone and lots of structure.
RRP: $55 (SOLD OUT)
La Soeur Cadette Chablis 2023
The La Soeur Cadette Chablis is a négoce wine with grapes purchased from the famous Chablis region from a certified organic vineyard. The soil is clay and limestone but not Kimmeridgian.
The gently-pressed juice was left to settle at ambient temperature. Fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks and used oak barrels of differing sizes. It was aged for ten months on lees in both the oak barrels and vat, but with no lees-stirring. As usual for the estate it went through full malolactic fermentation.
It was filtered through a kieselguhr filter which uses diatomaceous earth, hence making it suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
As you can see from the front label above they are very proud of having a Chablis wine. When we tried it shortly after it arrived in Tasmania we were extremely happy with the liveliness and finesse of the wine. It is also great value for a chablis as beautiful as this one!
RRP: $77 (SOLD OUT)
La Soeur Cadette Vézelay 2021
This beautiful, organic white wine has been released under the new Vézelay appellation which is only for white wines grown in a restricted number of communes based around the village of Vézelay.
It is made from 100% Chardonnay as required by the rules of this new appellation.
This wine has been assembled by La Soeur Cadette from grapes harvested from the very best terroir in their Vézelay vineyards. The Kimmeridgean limestone and clay creates a wonderful soil that Chardonnay absolutely loves which is partly why this is a white wine only appellation.
RRP: $84 (SOLD OUT)
La Soeur Cadette Bourgogne Blanc 2023
La Soeur Cadette Bourgogne Blanc 2023 is a négoce wine made with Chardonnay sourced from the same Mâcon grower as it has been for many years.
The vines are in the communes of Uchizy and Peronne, in the Saône et Loire department. The soil is stony clay and limestone and the orientation is south and south-west. The vines are approximately 55 years old.
The wine was aged in stainless steel tanks on its lees, as has been most typical for the Montanet family’s white wines. The wine has not been filtered. 13.5% ABV.
RRP: $(SOLD OUT)
La Soeur Cadette Bourgogne Rouge 2023
La Soeur Cadette Bourgogne Rouge 2023 is a négoce wine. It is made with Pinot Noir from Volnay and Vézelay, from vineyards with light, stony red clay soil.
The vines are approximately 45 years old. Whole clusters were macerated with occasional punching down of the tank and then after lightly pressing it was aged in barrels and tanks. 13.5.% ABV.
This is a beautiful red Burgundy displaying elegance and charm as well as being quite energetic. It has plenty of structure but is in no way aggressive, but rather soothing and graceful.
RRP: $64 (SOLD OUT)
Domaine de la Cadette Bourgogne l’Ermitage Rouge 2018
This Domaine de la Cadette wine is made primarily from Pinot Noir (80%), but it also has 20% of the rare César grape that is permitted in the Yonne region of Burgundy. This grape has been grown in this area since Roman times (hence the name).
This wine is therefore quite a rarity because of the inclusion of a grape variety that is permitted in this part of Burgundy but is rarely spoken about.
César is permitted only in the communes in the Yonne department and very little wine from this area makes its way to Australia. However this wine definitely benefits from the inclusion of this spicy grape variety. We love it.
The vines grow on a very steep south-facing slope, in the rural district of Vézelay at a placed called l’Ermitage after which the wine is named.
This is a beautiful, savoury Burgundy with a lingering finish and with a hint of the exotic from the use of the César grape.
RRP: $54 (SOLD OUT)
La Cadette Bourgogne Champs Cadet Rouge 2023
La Cadette Bourgogne Rouge Champs Cadet 2023 is an estate wine, made with grapes from a vineyard in the commune of Asquins in the Yonne Department.
During the maceration the grapes (some destemmed and some whole bunch) had occasional punch downs.
The free-run juice is run off and then, after pressing, the free run and press juice are blended prior to maturation in old oak barrels for almost 10 months prior to bottling without filtration.
The soil is clay and limestone and very stony, and it has a southerly and south-easterly aspect. The vines are 25-30 years old.Certified organic. 13.5% ABV.
RRP: $54 (SOLD OUT)
La Soeur Cadette Vin de France Melon de Bourgogne Blanc 2023
This wine is made from Melon de Bourgogne vines in the Yonne department.
It usually includes both négoce and estate Melon de Bourgogne. (Even in years where there is enough of their own harvest to make this wine in recent years they have always bottled it as La Soeur Cadette. When we started working with them there was an estate only cuvée as well.)
The vines are approximately 30 years old. The grapes are directly pressed then aged for 8-10 months on their lees prior to bottling. The wine is lightly filtered over white clay. Certified organic 12.5% ABV.
RRP: $55 (SOLD OUT)
La Soeur Cadette Mâcon Chardonnay 2018
The La Soeur Cadette Mâcon is a true négoce wine, made with purchased grapes from the north of Mâcon from vines which thrive in the Uchizy and Peronne communes. The vines are around 30 years old and grow in very rocky vineyards of clay and limestone.
This wine is not certified organic, but Valentin, who visits the vineyard each year, has assured us the farming is organic. Valentin and his team pick the grapes and take them back to Saint Pere to make the wine.
Therefore the wine is labelled with their ‘negoce’ La Soeur Cadette designation. This is all due to the rules laid down by the French wine authorities.
As a result, this is a very beautiful wine made entirely from Chardonnay grapes with a small amount (3%) of a rare grape called Muscaté, which is a cross between Chardonnay and Muscat, which are aged in stainless steel tanks for 8 to 10 months. It is also a very reasonable price for such a pure white Burgundy.
Note that Valentin has two wines from the Mâcon, both made from Chardonnay, with the only difference being that the grapes are sourced from two different organic vineyards. One is issued under the Mâcon Villages appellation and this one as Mâcon Chardonnay.
RRP: $47 (SOLD OUT)
La Soeur Cadette Juliénas 2023
As with the Chénas described above this is also a wine released under their négoce label La Soeur Cadette because the grapes were purchased, not grown on the estate.
Juliénas is a cru region of Beaujolais with the magic granitic soils and this wine is a beautiful expression of that region. The grapes for this wine were picked from very old vines (70 to 90 years old) in the communes of Juliénas and neighouring Jullié.
The grapes were then transferred to a refrigerated truck to take them to Vézelay. The grapes then underwent whole bunch carbonic maceration and were then pressed and the juice was transferred to 40 hectolitre wooden foudre for the wine to mature for 9 months.
The wine was then transferred to steel tanks to allow the sediment to settle for a month before the juice was carefully siphoned off and bottled.
The end result is a great wine which was bottled with only minimal sulphites and no fining or filtering.
RRP: $58 (SOLD OUT)
Domaine Montanet-Thoden Vézelay Cuvee Galerne Blanc 2023
Domaine Montanet-Thoden is Catherine’s domaine but the vineyards are maintained by the same people and the wines are made by the same crew that make the Cadette wines.
The vines are only twenty years old but are already producing excellent fruit due to the organic cultivation and the presence of lots of limestone in the clay soils. It is a great place for fossil hunting!
This is a lively 100% Chardonnay packed with white flowers and impressive minerality backed by a bracing acidity and beautiful, rounded flavour. The grapes are hand-picked and then pressed very gently. It was fermented in stainless steel using wild yeasts to provide added complexity.
Notice on the label for this white wine there is no longer the Bourgogne Vézelay appellation because the white wines made in the Vézelay, Asquins, Saint-Père and Tharoiseau communes have been “promoted” to the same level as Volnay and Pommard for example, where they are permitted to just display the name of the lead commune, namely Vézelay. This is recognition of the quality of the white wines being produced here.
RRP: $65 (SOLD OUT)
Montanet-Thoden Bourgogne Cuvée Garance Rouge 2023
Garance is an estate Pinot Noir sourced from parcels in the communes of St Père and Vézelay.
Because the Vézelay appellation is only for white wine, the appellation used for this wine is Bourgogne as you can see on the label.
The vineyards are predominantly red clay with a little limestone. 1/3 was destemmed and macerated for approximately 10 days. 2/3 was kept as whole bunches and macerated for an extra week. After pressing it was aged in barrels. It was racked into tank one month before bottling in June 2024.
Small amounts of sulphites were added after alcoholic and malolactic fermentation was completed and at bottling. It, as usual on this estate for its red wines, not filtered. Certified organic. 13% ABV
RRP: $70 (SOLD OUT)
