Grape · Pays Nantais, France
Melon de Bourgogne
meh-LOHN duh boor-GOAN-yuh
The oyster grape
Muscadet's grape, grown at the Loire's Atlantic mouth. Neutral by nature, saline by place, and transformed by aging on its lees.
- lemon
- sea spray
- green apple
- yeast
- wet stone
Profile
Bodylow
Acidhigh
Sugardry
Melon is not aromatic. The wine is about texture, salt, and lees (sur lie). A good Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine tastes of the ocean without tasting of fruit salad, which is why sommeliers pour it with oysters more than any other white.
Cru communal Muscadets (Clisson, Gorges, Le Pallet) can age a decade and taste like poor man's Chablis. The prices remain kind.
Oysters, mussels, goat cheese, and radishes with butter.
At the table
Service
46–50 °F (8–10 °C).
