LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE
$23.00 on the Kermit Lynch Website
Vintage: 2023
100% Melon de Bourgogne
Appellation: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
Producer: André-Michel Brégeon
Winemaker: Fred Lailler
Vineyard: 40 years average, 7.8 ha total
Soil: Gabbro
Farming: Organic (certified)
Alcohol: 11%

NEIL'S WINTER 2026 OYSTER WINE & THANKSGIVING PARTY CHARMER
90 Wine Spectator
"Enticing notes of ripe pear, apple and spices are plush in this white, with a savory beam of fine-grained mineral details driving energy. Shows depth on the long, streamlined and smoky-saline finish, along with a hint of grilled macadamia nut."

"Sur lie, as mentioned on Brégeon’s appropriately golden label, means Fred Lailler’s crystalline Muscadet keeps contact on a bed of inactive yeast as it matures, undisturbed, in underground cuves. This practice lends a hint of richness in the form of volume and character, plus a subtle ray of warmth, to an otherwise bracingly mineral white. Classic Muscadet aromas endure, especially in a vintage like 2023, but there’s a complexity here that’s uncommon for an appellation known for its simple oyster wines. This one could do much more at table than wash away a few bivalves."
—Jane Augustine
 
WINEMAKER NOTES FOR 2023:
Long praised as the ultimate oyster wine (an entirely deserved reputation) Muscadet can be even more than your drink of choice to chase bivalves. It fills the mouth with suspicions of honeysuckle and pulpy stone fruits, all while maintaining classic notes of iodine and sea breeze that make this the vinous equivalent of tide pooling.
Uncommonly full and rich but still sporting the crisp acidity and low alcohol that make it so sessionable, this is a Muscadet to enjoy with oysters as well as alongside seared scallops, warm mussels, or roast chicken.