Muscadet Sèvre et Maine can be a powerful, age-worthy white wine. Sommeliers have been saying this for years, but there remain non-believers who see it as a light, simple, often spritzy oyster wine and nothing more. Not only is there ample bottled evidence to the contrary, but today we have Muscadet—a.k.a. Melon de Bourgogne—in sparkling form that’ll outperform many Champagnes costing twice as much.
Loire Valley
vigneron Jérémie Huchet has vineyards in the choicest
crus of the Sèvre et Maine region, bottling his diverse range of wines by soil type—as many top Muscadet producers are wont to do—and this Champagne-method sparkler, “La Bretesche,” is one such wine. Named for its source vineyard, which is planted in sandy, mineral-rich gneiss soils on the slopes of the Sèvre River, La Bretesche offers the tension and focused fruit of a Côte de Blancs Champagne coupled with a kiss of salty sea air that is a hallmark of the westernmost Loire. And, just as the best still wines from Muscadet are among the greatest values in cellar-worthy white wine, this vintage-dated sparkler, aged 36 months on its lees and bottled without any dosage, is grand larceny at $28. It has a character quite distinct from that of Champagne, but there’s no doubt it is Champagne’s qualitative peer. If you’re a lover of high-quality bubbles, this is a must-have!
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. The vineyard of the historic Château de la Bretesche, a 13-hectare clos (walled vineyard) that Huchet began working with in 2006, is on silty sand over gneiss, which, as the wine’s label further notes, is shot through with mica. Not to be suggestible, but there’s a crystalline mineral quality to this sparkler along with the telltale sea-spray note that distinguishes the best whites from Muscadet (a.k.a. Melon de Bourgogne).
Jérémie Huchet is a Muscadet maven, to be sure: His base of operations is the Domaine de la Chauvinière, which has been in his family for four generations and sits in the heart of the granite-rich Château-Thébaud subzone—undoubtedly one of the Sèvre et Maine area’s “grand crus.” Overall, he makes Muscadet wines from four different properties, including the Château de la Templerie, also in Château-Thébaud, and the vast lineup is organized by soil type—much like that of the great Domaine de l’Ecu (whose sparkler, “La Divina,” is another regional standout).
Huchet’s Champagne-method “La Bretesche” is crafted from 100% Melon de Bourgogne and was aged a solid 36 months on its lees before disgorgement. It did not receive any
dosage (sugar addition), but it’s clear from the first sip it didn’t need it—there is plenty of ripe apple/pear fruit here to balance its salty minerality, so no need for any ‘corrective’ sweetness! In the glass, it shines a brilliant straw-yellow with platinum reflections, strongly resembling a Côte de Blancs Champagne on the nose with that intriguing saline/sea air component setting it apart. Aromas of yellow apples, Meyer lemon, citrus blossoms, brine, and crushed rocks carry over to the deep and beautifully balanced palate; the wine is dense and mouth-filling but full of nerve at the same time, which is really the Holy Grail for a Champagne-style sparkler, and now would be a good time to remind you of its scandalously low price. La Bretesche lacks for nothing, so stock up and break it out for aperitif hour and beyond all summer long. Pair it with all manner of hors d’oeuvres and first course salads and seafood dishes. Serve it at 45-50 degrees in all-purpose white wine stems (you know how we feel about flutes) and crack open the freshest oysters you can find. Sparkling or still, Muscadet is meant for this!
