I’ll admit that the game was rigged in favor of this wine: I’ve had (and we’ve offered) past vintages of Domaine du Haut Bourg’s “Origine,” so when the 2012 showed up, I wasn’t the least bit skeptical about an inexpensive Muscadet with nearly a decade of age. On the contrary—I was stoked, and the wine very much justified my excitement.

Most wine lovers have been conditioned to think of Muscadet as a white to be drunk as young as possible, ideally with a plateau of oysters near at hand. They’re not wrong, but there’s another side to Muscadet that doesn’t receive nearly enough attention: the age-worthy side. The assorted “Muscadet” appellations of the western Loire offer a patchwork of mineral-laden soils to make a geologist drool, and this combined with cool currents off the Atlantic Ocean makes for some choice white wine terroir. Much as I love the bracing freshness and salty simplicity of a young Muscadet, Haut Bourg’s 2012 is a completely different—and utterly fascinating—expression. You might not have thought that the Mélon de Bourgogne grape could exhibit the depth and dimension it does here, but this will emphatically change your mind. Grown in the schistous soils of the Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu appellation, this is a perennial SommSelect favorite that awakens the mind as well as the palate. Comparisons to aged white Burgundy and Sancerre are inevitable, except when you get to the price!

Stepping back for a second, I always feel compelled to note that Mélon de Bourgogne is the grape in Muscadet, although many use the latter as its name. It is not known as an assertively aromatic variety but one which, like Chardonnay, is very “transparent” in communicating its terroir. Domaine du Haut Bourg dates to 1945 and is based in the village of Bouaye, in the heart of the Côte de Grandlieu, one of the three areas around the Loire city of Nantes that produce Muscadet sur lie. The Côte de Grandlieu is a rolling plain to the west of the much-larger Sèvre et Maine appellation (there are close to 9,000 hectares of vines planted in the Sèvre et Maine, compared to just 300 in Côte de Grandlieu), where the soils contain more sand and pebbles (compared to the schist and granite of Sèvre et Maine). Côte de Grandlieu wines are typically described as rounder and more fruit-forward Muscadets than those of Sèvre et Maine, and that’s evident in this wine, but there’s no lack of mineral grip or acidic backbone, either. This is a full-throttle expression of Mélon de Bourgogne grown in the sandy, mica-schist soils of the Grandlieu appellation.

Most Muscadet wines are aged sur lie (“on the lees”), meaning they are left in contact with the creamy-looking sediment of spent yeast cells that precipitate out after fermentation. In addition to infusing the wine with a “yeasty” flavor, these sediments also consume oxygen, trapping some of it as the CO2 “spritz” found in most Muscadets and reducing the need for added sulfur as an antioxidant. This gives the wines their trademark youthful freshness, but for “Origine,” Haut Bourg proprietors Nicholas and Hervé Choblet aim for something completely different: In select vintages, they hold back a small amount of wine from their “Pavillon” vineyard and subject it to extended lees aging in stainless steel vats—as in, many years of tank aging before bottling.

The result is a structured, focused, multi-dimensional white that is at once invigoratingly fresh (you will be surprised that this wine is approaching a decade of age) and startlingly complex. It is fruity, it is salty/savory, it is aromatic, and it packs a powerful, long-lasting finish. On the nose, the first aromas that leap out are luscious notes of fresh bread dough, raw hazelnut, and other “leesy” notes. The fruit, both on the nose and palate, is a tangy mix of yellow apple, pear, peach pit, citrus, and melon layered with a dollop of fresh cream and that inimitable blast of salt air and mineral savor that defines Muscadet. The mix of sweet and savory flavors, combined with the still-bracing acidity, makes for an immensely satisfying glass of wine that should not be missed. Crack one open soon and serve it just below cellar temperature (about 50 degrees) with richer fish or shellfish. The attached bouillabaisse recipe will be magic, and again—this is Muscadet to impress as well as refresh. It mustn’t be missed!