Domaine de la Tourlaudière: a story behind every plot

We're off to meet the Petiteau-Gaubert family in the Nantes region, in the Muscadet Sèvres & Maine appellation. Roland, winemaker at Domaine de La Tourlaudière, opens the doors to a family estate full of history and charm!

The Petiteau-Gaubert family: a family of winegrowers in the Loire

I was born into a family of winemakers, some of whom had remarkable personalities. Two stories shaped my childhood: the story of Domaine de la Tourlaudière and that of my maternal grandmother. Widowed at a young age, she single-handedly kept her vineyard afloat for a generation, while my paternal grandfather, a cooper and winemaker, was particularly creative and philosophical. Listening to them, I learned and understood the "why" of wine, and through my oenology studies, I learned the "how." I then decided to share my life and this thirst for knowledge with my wife, herself a winemaker.

The importance of the land for the Petiteau-Gaubert family

Each plot of land has a story, passed down orally or written in old family documents. Terroir is difficult to define. It is first and foremost a potential where the soil and the environment of the plot bestow upon the product qualitative possibilities, which the winemaker and the vintage will then enhance. These particularities give each cuvée a unique taste and a special emotional impact.

The encounter with Château d'Yquem

I studied oenology at Château La Tour Blanche in Sauternes in 1972. At the end of our studies, our favorite professor, Mrs. Colette Navarre, arranged for us to be invited to Château d'Yquem and we tasted the 1947 vintage there.

Domaine de la Tourlaudière: from father to son

It's probably more difficult for my son to work with his father than the other way around! That was my case when I started working with my father, and he himself told me about the difficulties he encountered with my grandfather.

Confidences of Roland Petiteau, winemaker at Domaine de la Tourlaudière

If I had to describe myself, I'd say I'm rebellious and sociable! My favorite wine would be one from a late November harvest: a very late harvest with friends, a slightly crazy challenge for a few bottles with incredible flavor whose price we'd never even consider. If I had to choose my favorite time of year, it would be winter! Winters are mild in the Nantes region, the vines are dormant. The work is divided between pruning the vines and evenings in the cellar where the young wine is discovered and imagined. And I'll even share a secret with you: I've kept my beard from the 1976 harvest, a remarkable vintage!

Roland's anecdote about the "Golden Pipette" competition

For the 2000 vintage, we received the Golden Pipette , a unique, local, and highly prestigious award that a winemaker rarely receives more than once in their lifetime. As the winner of the 2000 vintage, I was asked to participate in the final selection of the 2001 vintage. When the bottles were revealed, our 2001 had come in second, and I obviously didn't recognize it.

Roland Petiteau, the rebel winemaker of the Loire

What I find unbearable is the unrestrained adherence to current trends. After being annoyed by it, I became completely indifferent to hyper-technological wines, then to hyper-oaked wines, and more recently to certain completely crazy "so-called natural" wines.

Find Domaine de la Tourlaudière (Loire) on Les Grappes

Loïc Tanguy (Les Grappes)