L d’Or 2018

Wine information

This Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine from the Melon de Bourgogne variety comes from a vineyard planted in 1984 in the village of Vallet. The vineyard is characterized by granite in the upper part of the vineyard and gneiss with inclusions of mica of the Armoricain massif in the lower part.

The grapes, harvested by hand, were pressed in a pneumatic press, the strength and duration of pressing being adapted to the vintage. This was followed by spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts, then fermentation and aging on the lees in underground, glass-lined cement cuves for seven months. No racking until bottling in April 2019.

Color

intense straw yellow

Nose

The L d'Or delivers a wonderful blend of ripe fruit, a perfume of flowers, salt and stone, and a hint of petrol. Quinces and crumbly yellow pears and apples combine with a bit of honeydew melon and grapefruit, as well as ripe mirabelles. The smell here is almost like a slightly ripened Alsace Riesling from Granite.

Palate

On the palate, the sun and warmth of the vintage is evident in the form of wonderfully ripe fruit, the kind you don't get every day in the Nantais either. The Muscadet L d'Or is yellow and white-fleshed, combining oranges and stone fruit with a silky, subtle acidity familiar from Viognier. Nevertheless, this wine remains fresh and clear thanks to its lively minerality. The Muscadet is powerful and dense, at the same time spicy with a hint of liquorice, and it has great length.