Vera Cruz AOP 2022

Wine description for Vera Cruz AOP 2022 by Luneau-Papin

Colour & appearance

Intense straw yellow with fine green reflections – bright and clear in the glass.

Nose

Fresh and of impressive typicity: crisp green and yellow apples, greengages and white peach, accompanied by a maritime hint of sea breeze. Oily schist, a touch of pepper and white blossoms complete the picture.

Palate

More powerful and a touch more exotic than the nose suggests – typical of this vineyard site. Mango spritzer, ripe pears and lemon oil meet stony minerality and a zesty, vibrant acidity, as one expects from great Muscadet.

Finish

Taut and long, with fine phenolics and a salty, iodine note on the finish – a lingering impression reminiscent of wet stone and sea spray.

Terroir & origin

The Vera Cruz lieu-dit in the village of Vallet was planted in 1974. The subsoil of mica schist and gneiss from the Armorican Massif lends the wine its taut, saline drive. At Luneau-Papin, the principle holds: one soil, one wine – Melon de Bourgogne acts here as a translator of geology into the glass.

Grape variety & vinification

Pure Melon de Bourgogne, hand-harvested and gently processed in a pneumatic press. The spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts is followed by seven months of maturation on the lees in underground, glass-lined cement tanks – without racking until bottling. At 12.0% abv, the wine remains lean and dry.

Food recommendations

The classic pairing: oysters and mussels in white wine broth. Equally convincing with sole, grilled sea bream fillet, sushi or a simple goat’s cheese from the Loire region.

Special characteristics

What distinguishes this wine is the rare combination of power and structure at just twelve degrees of alcohol: a Muscadet that proves the often underestimated Melon de Bourgogne grape can do far more than provide bistro-friendly freshness – namely, make terroir tangible. Texture rather than opulence, grip rather than easy charm.