#387 Beige and boring need not be either

If you go into any wine shop and want a bottle of Sancerre, you will be guided to the shelves for wines from the Loire.  If you look past the Pouilly Fume's and the Sancerres towards the bottom shelves, you will see a selection of dust covered fluted type bottles with dull, beige labels that are possibly the least inspiring to look at wines in the shop.

They are Muscadets, made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape and grown near the city of Nantes.  The problem with Melon de Bourgogne is that is it bland, and to make an interesting wine, nature doesn't give you much help, so it is down to the winemaker.  As a result, the wines are kept in contact with their dead yeast cells (called lees) in a process that was discovered by accident.  Muscadet producers would put aside a barrel of wine for family occasions, such as a wedding.  This wine would develop a fuller flavour and softer texture, and the rules for how long the wine had to stay in contact with the lees were decided in 1994.

These wines go very well with seafood.  They have no residual sugar, and are very dry, and reach their best point up to three years from vintage.  I tried three wines, from three different producers and three different years - but they were all (roughly) the same price.

2007 Chateau de Chasseloir Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie
A bit of brie on the nose, the cheese rind with some slightly oxidised aromas to it.  The palate is acidic, a lot more linear with some lemon and lemon pips coming off the palate.  The finish is quite aggressive with some very zingy notes and lemons that aren't that nice.  You feel a little stripped and beaten up by this wine.  82pts

2008 Domaine Michel David Muscadet Sevre et Main Sur Lie Clos du Ferre
A bright lemon, with a slight nudge of honey, and then a wet sandstone like aroma, and a clean milky aroma.  The palate is bright, minerally with some soft citrus pith, a lovely soft palate with bright grapefruit and a crisp, acidic element to it.  The finish is all about pencil lead and citrus pith.  89pts

2009 Christophe Drouard Selection des Hauts Pemions Muscadet Sevre et Main Sur Lie
A lemon milkshake!  Bright with white pepper, lemon and just a touch of that fresh milk aroma.  The palate is crisp, with a touch of pepper and tart citrus, but with a yeast note coming through to calm it down.  It develops a lemon prominence and then changes to a slightly bitter and dry finish.  Great acidic balance and simply, a stunning wine.  90pts

They may have the dated, dull appearance of John Major in a tan coloured Austin Maestro, but these wines can be bright, youthful and very tasty.