Winemaker Notes
Fruit of much hard work, the grapes are pressed carefully. After fermentation, the ageing begins. The yeasts which compose the “lie” are regularly stirred in the vats. This technique, called “bâtonnage” in French, gives a great aromatic complexity and gustatory richness to this wine. A minimum two-year maturing provides this cru Clisson with a great ageing potential.
Served decanted at 53°-57° F, this powerful, charming, exceptionally delicate wine is the ideal aperitif. Naturally served with scallop, smoked salmon and other fish cooked in a sauce, it twill astound you with a pan-fried “foie gras” (duck livers preserved in fat) or with mature cheese such as goat cheese or Comté.
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.