Domaine Nicolas Reau La Pentière Muscadet Sur Lie 2019

The appellation of Muscadet is part of the greater Loire valley, situated far West around the town of Nantes near the Atlantic Ocean. The maritime influence of the ocean makes this the coolest region of the Loire with more rainfall too.
The variety used to produce Muscadet, Melon de Bourgogne, was initially planted in the region sometime in or before the 17th century.

Grapes are generally harvested quite early to avoid frost and mildew in this wet climate. The variety is well adapted to the climate though, being relatively resistant against frost and able to ripen early. However, many producers nowadays try to harvest later to allow for more flavours to develop. The late 20th century saw the introduction of different winemaking techniques like barrel aging, skin maceration and lees stirring and aging.
This Muscadet Sur Lie by Nicolas Reau, who is a strong figure in the French Natural Wine movement, proudly shows Sur Lie on the bottle. This refers to the method of leaving the wine on the lees (dead yeast cells) after fermentation for an extended period. In this case 9 months. A further rule of the appellation is that the wine must be bottled unfiltered, straight off the lees. Fresh pear and apple notes with gentle floral aromas are complemented by a textured palate and crisp dry, slightly salty finish.

Another fun fact is that the wines of Muscadet are never allowed to be more than 12% ABV and the sugar cannot be over 3g/l. Therefore, the wine is always fresh and dry and just perfect for summer drinking with fresh seafood, particularly oysters. Another wine pairing sorted!