The Sèvre et Maine growing zone—named for two tributaries of the Loire that feed into it just before it empties into the Atlantic—is known for its patchwork of soil types. It’s a mix of igneous and metamorphic rock, with thin topsoils over subsoils that vary from granite to schist to gneiss. 

Jérémie Huchet is a Muscadet maven, to be sure: His base of operations is the Domaine de la Chauvinière, a former monastery which has been in his family for four generations. The six hectares of vineyards are in the heart of the granite-rich Château-Thébaud subzone—undoubtedly one of the Sèvre et Maine region’s “grand crus.”

Melon de Bourgogne, like its cousin, Chardonnay, is delicately aromatic and heavily influenced by its place of origin. This wine was aged sur lie (“on the lees”), wherein spent yeasts (lees) were left in the juice after fermentation; this adds texture and lactic, bread-dough aromas. Pale straw-gold with bright aromas of tart green apple, citrus pith, Anjou pear, cream, wet stones, and brine.