Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Marc Ollivier grows this at a two-acre parcel of 60- to 90-year-old vines planted on the granite of the Massive Armoricain; he and several other growers on this terroir now create special bottlings under the Granite de Clisson label. This wine ages for 24 months on the lees, developing a brilliant depth of flavor that sets it apart from its siblings. The color is platinum, the scent a compelling mix of lime, orange blossom, fig and sage. There's a brothy richness, like an infusion of lobster shells, a ripe juiciness that's focused and firmed up along its silken texture. Destined to become a classic...
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.
The Pays Nantais, Loire’s only region abutting the Atlantic coast, is solely focused on the Melon de Bourgogne grape in its handful of subzones: Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine, Muscadet-Coteaux de la Loire and Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu. Muscadet wines are dry, crisp, seaside whites made from Melon de Bourgogne and are ideal for the local seafood-focused cuisine. (They are not related to Muscat.) There is a new shift in the region to make these wines with extended lees contact, creating fleshy and more aromatic versions.