Winemaker Notes
100 % Melon de Bourgogne from 100+ year old vines. The grapes are harvested at optimum maturity and only by hand. This allows the removal of any parts of the bunch affected by botrytis. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel vats and continues the process of settling on the lees over a period of several months. The bottling commences seven months after the harvest in May. The minerality of the soil allows the wine to age in the bottle and to continue to its full maturity after several years
The wine develops complex flavors whilst preserving its freshness. Many vintages that are stored in the cellars are appreciated over a decade.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Chateau de Chasseloir Comte Leloup de Chasseloir Muscadet de Sevre et Maine Sur Lie Cuvee des Ceps Centenaires smells of fresh lime and lemon, oyster shell and salt spray, and a Chenin-like meld of quince and pear. Along with citrus and orchard fruits, a briny-nutty meld of flavors in this wine reminds me of the freshly sauteed smelts I would in any event be inclined to drink it with! One minute this impresses me most with its sheer richness of ripe orchard fruit character and silken texture, the next for its mysterious meld of mineral elements and its sheer refreshment. Almond cream, quince, salt, chalk, and iodine – not to mention luscious citrus – are among the elements informing this wine’s kaleidoscopic finish. As I have written before, that one can savor a wine with such complexity and from un-grafted hundred year old vines for $20 is remarkable, and I cannot imagine what any readers who have not already had the experience are waiting for. Furthermore, this will drink well for at least the next half dozen years.
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Wine & Spirits
Made from vines more than 100 years old, this has an uncommon depth and complexity of flavor. with a pronounced leesiness resembling the flor character of a Fino sherry. It's stony and subtly nuanced, showing a silky texture and harmonious length.
Made famous in Muscadet, a gently rolling, Atlantic-dominated countryside on the eastern edge of the Loire, Melon de Bourgogne is actually the most planted grape variety in the Loire Valley. But the best comes from Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, a subzone of Pays Nantais. Somm Secret—The wine called Muscadet may sound suggestive of “muscat,” but Melon de Bourgogne is not related. Its name also suggests origins in Burgundy, which it has, but was continuously outlawed there, like Gamay, during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Praised for its stately Renaissance-era chateaux, the picturesque Loire valley produces pleasant wines of just about every style. Just south of Paris, the appellation lies along the river of the same name and stretches from the Atlantic coast to the center of France.
The Loire can be divided into three main growing areas, from west to east: the Lower Loire, Middle Loire, and Upper/Central Loire. The Pay Nantais region of the Lower Loire—farthest west and closest to the Atlantic—has a maritime climate and focuses on the Melon de Bourgogne variety, which makes refreshing, crisp, aromatic whites.
The Middle Loire contains Anjou, Saumur and Touraine. In Anjou, Chenin Blanc produces some of, if not the most, outstanding dry and sweet wines with a sleek, mineral edge and characteristics of crisp apple, pear and honeysuckle. Cabernet Franc dominates red and rosé production here, supported often by Grolleau and Cabernet Sauvignon. Sparkling Crémant de Loire is a specialty of Saumur. Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc are common in Touraine as well, along with Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay and Malbec (known locally as Côt).
The Upper Loire, with a warm, continental climate, is Sauvignon Blanc country, home to the world-renowned appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Pinot Noir and Gamay produce bright, easy-drinking red wines here.