You don't need a Sat Nav to find good wine around Nantes. Go direct for this Muscadet Sur Lie

You don't need a Sat Nav to find good wine around Nantes. Go direct for this Muscadet Sur Lie

Günther Chéreau Confluentia Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie (AP) 2021, 12% ABV 

RRP €21.99 wineonline.ie World Wide Wines

Back in the day, around 1980, on family holidays in Brittany, I would wander into a supermarket and check out the wine. For seven or eight francs, the equivalent of our pound, I could buy a bottle of Muscadet, for a franc or two less, a bottle of Gros Plant, each from the bottom shelves. Very happy then with the price (compared to back home) and happy too with the quality (of which I knew very little).

Didn’t know anything about Sur Lie either, the two little words that appear on some Muscadet bottles and are a likely indicator of extra quality. Confluentia has them on the front label. Liberty Wines, the importers, explain: Château du Coing’s Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie is fermented with indigenous yeasts and spends the winter on its lees. The bottling of ‘Sur Lie’ wines cannot legally start until after the first Thursday in the March following the vintage. ‘Confluentia’ comes from a single south-facing parcel located exactly at the confluence of the rivers. It spends 10 months on lees and impresses for its distinctive textured, fragrant style.

Colour of our wine is a light gold with a myriad of micro bubbles clinging to the walls of the glass. It is delicately fragrant, citrus and floral. On the palate it is textured, is fresh, elegant and well balanced, with flavours to match the aromas. And quite decent length in the finish.

We are lucky to have it here in our glasses. It wasn’t the best of years in the area round Nantes where the fruit is grown.The spring frost resulted in a large part of the crop being lost.

The Loire

Goes well with seafood along with fish from the sea and rivers, some cheeses, or as an aperitif. Best served at around 12°C degrees.

St Fiacre had a monastery in County Kilkenny and later in France. Among other things, he is the patron saint of gardeners, wine growers included perhaps. The area around Château du Coing in the village of Saint Fiacre is surrounded by vines, most of them bearing the Melon de Bourgogne, the grape from which Muscadet is produced.

Back in those days, we had no Sat-Navs nor Google Maps and there is many a Cork driver who got lost in Nantes as he or she, fresh off the ferry at Roscoff, headed south. It happened to me one Sunday morning. Eventually I came out of the city and found myself in the vines, probably quite close to St Fiacre! Luckily, we spotted a sign for a town to the south that we knew was on the proper route and soon we were back on track.

Very Highly Recommended.

• Gros Plant, the other grape of the area, is sharply acidic, very tangy and sour. Only the natives love it and the wine is not exported.

Muscadet and Sangiovese excel on home ground. A lovely white and red wine for you.

Muscadet and Sangiovese excel on home ground. A lovely white and red wine for you. 

La Fessardière “La Mer qu’on voit danser” Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie (AC) 2015, 12%

€16.00, Mary Pawle Wines, Mannings Ballylickey and Little Green Grocer in Kilkenny 

Melon de Bourgogne, the grape from which Muscadet is produced, is sometimes referred to condescendingly as a “inoffensive grape or a “neutral” one. The Melon grape certainly lacks the boisterous aromas that characterise New World Sauvignon Blanc. But this lack of initial assertiveness is deceiving, especially if it has spent some time on its lees (sur lie, on the label) and, as is also the case here, a little time in oak.

Still, the aromas of this 2015 are reticent. You’ll probably get citrus but you’ll need to work harder to get more. Mid gold is the colour and it’s quite attractive. All the work and care (including a light oaking and 9 months on lees) that has been lavished here, comes through on the palate with its superb texture. Excellent citrus flavours, the fruit rounded, and well balanced by a sprightly acidity.

For decades now, it has been the traditional accompaniment to seafood, especially in this corner of France, though it will do the job just as well in Ireland. An refreshing appetiser as well.

The Domaine de la Fessardiere has produced organic wine since 1997. Michel Sauvion the former winemaker, made this choice in order to increase the quality of its Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine wine and work closer to nature. In 2014, Jérôme & Emeline met Michel Sauvion.… As wine lovers, Jérôme and Emeline were seduced by the wine and Michel’s knowhow and they choose right away to keep producing wine following the organic method. Then, they decided to value the different parts and typicity of the land and the winery through a new range of Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine wines.

Made with love. You’ll love it! Highly Recommended.

And then you can check up on the other Muscadets in the range by the same producer, including the two below, recently reviewed here, also from Mary Pawle:

L’Air Innocent https://www.corkbilly.com/2019/04/lost-in-muscadet-vineyard-in-nantes-and.html

La Gloire De Nos Pères https://www.corkbilly.com/2020/11/a-french-red-and-white-each-very-highly.html

Volpi “Boira” Sangiovese Marche (IGT) 2019, 13%,\

€14.40 Mary Pawle Wines, Mannings Ballylickey and Little Green Grocer in Kilkenny

This charming Sangiovese, not from Tuscany but from Marche (between the central mountains and the east coast), has a lovely ruby colour. Aromas are intense, ripe red fruit, floral and herbal notes too. Flavours are just as bright and intense, full of red and darker fruit flavours, plus a hint of vanilla. Tannins are more or less silky. Dry and harmonious, the Boira has a lingering finish. 

An organic and vegan-friendly wine, it is ideal for the table. Try it with stewed meat and aged cheeses (winery tips); other suggestions include spaghetti bolognese, lamb shank and steak Milanese, Pappardelle pasta with a rabbit and porcini mushroom ragù, Fried chicken livers, Slow-roasted pork with white bean mash. 

Speaking of pork, I had a glass of it the other night with a dish from On the Pig’s Back: Broiled Marinated Pork Chop, Savoy cabbage, Fondant Potato and Mustard Sauce. An excellent match.

Highly Recommended. Very well priced too, by the way. 

A French Red and White. Each Very Highly Recommended.

A French Red and White. Each Very Highly Recommended. 

De Brau Pure Pinot Noir Pays D’Oc (IGP) 2018, 13.5%, €16.60 Mary Pawle

A very approachable Pinot Noir with good body and length. 

That’s how importer May Pawle sums up this Pay D’Oc Pinot Noir and indeed you soon realise why it’s “A real favourite with our customers.”

Colour is a shiny mid to dark ruby. And the aromas, cherry and berry, are just as attractive. The good news continues on the palate with a pleasing mouthfeel and a host of black cherry notes. Very soft tannins too and a long finish. 

The Languedoc may not be the usual place for Pinot Noir but this is a winner all the way and Very Highly Recommended. Which is what I also said about the 2015. Serve at 15 -16°C with grilled vegetables and meat (duck, lamb), poultry, even medium spiced Indian food.

De Brau make full use of the Languedoc's predictable sunshine and the cooling sea breezes. A desirable scenario for growing grapes! This organic wine is part of the winery’s PURE range, started in 2006. Other single varietals include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah along with Viognier, Egiodola, Petit Verdot, and Fer Servadou. Some unusual grapes there!

Fessardière “La Gloire De Nos Pères”  Sur Lie Muscadet Sevre et Maine (AOC) 2016, 12%, €18.25 Mary Pawle

The outward signs are good with this wine from the vineyards of Nantes, a city where many an Irish driver got lost in the early days of Brittany Ferries.

It was around here too that many of us made our first acquaintance with Muscadet, usually from the bottom shelf or, perhaps more daringly, from the one just above it. And then we had so much of it (and Gros Plant, which also needs lees to improve its character), we went off it. Bit by bit though, we began to realise there was really good Muscadet and many of them had the magic words “Sur Lie” on the label.

This one has those two words and a beautiful golden colour. Gorgeous aromas too, melon, muted aniseed, floral notes. An amazing concentration on the palate, sharp pineapple, more rounded apricot, and a salty acidity too. And that enlivening fresh and fruity combination tango all the way to a persistent finish. Second glass appeal? You bet. Second shelf for this one? I think you could safely go a little higher. Very Highly Recommended.

This is relatively new to the Mary Pawle portfolio (though she has some other excellent Muscadet from the same producers). “There is more than a hint of the briny Atlantic Ocean in this full bodied wine. Ideally open a short while before serving and you will be well rewarded.”

The label advises much the same: Open one hour in advance, serve 10-12 degrees. It pairs well with fish, spicy white meats, and apéritifs gourmands. Domaine de la Fessardière is located in the west of Loire Valley in the heart of the vineyard of Nantes City. The 25 hectares domain is essentially planted with Melon de Bourgogne grape variety, the grape used to produce Muscadet. Since 1997 vine growing has been following organic methods.  

Two French Whites To Consider

Château du Coing de Saint Fiacre L’Ancestrale Cru Communal Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 2010, 12%, €16.65 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Colour is more intense than your usual Muscadet,  brighter also. Aromas are fruity and complex. Had been a little worried about the age here but no need. This is quite superb, rich and yet crisp and, as Le Caveau hints, could go head to head with a great Chablis or a Grand Cru Riesling. A delicious discovery for me with a superb finish, a touch of minerality on the lips.

The ageing, which includes 42 months on lees, has no doubt had the desired result in this gorgeous apricot and melon flavoured perfectly balanced wine. One to be sipped and enjoyed and Very Highly Recommended.

There are a number of extra hurdles to be jumped before this wine is granted the final label, including one 60 days before bottling. The bottles received a certification number and each bottle is numbered.  As far as I can see from the label, my numbers are 13 and 13408. 

Because of its planned maturity, this is now much more than the companion of just seafood and shellfish. The makers suggest it pairs perfectly "with a gastronomic food as sea or river fish but also white meats as chicken and some cheeses. A tasting appetizer is also very nice, the wine is served chilled to 12 °C.”

Domaine de la Bonne Tonne Beaujolais Blanc (AOC) Chardonnay 2017, 13.5%, €23.00 Mary Pawle  

Spanking clean light gold colour. Aromas are somewhat complex with citrus prominent. It is pleasingly smooth on the palate, rounded fruit and dry to the finish. Perfect, they say, with seafood or a cream chicken.

The fruit is from young vines from the Pizay area, grown on soils composed mainly of clays. Drink now; or consider keeping as it has the potential of keeping for 3 to 5 years.

Given the Beaujolais bias toward Gamay, it is not surprising that Beaujolais Blanc is little-known. Just two per cent of the crop is Chardonnay and indeed, much of the Chardonnay grown here in northern Beaujolais, where the Macon overlaps Burgundy, are sold under the better-known Macon appellation.

If you like Maconnais, as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald did (A Moveable Feast), then you’ll have no problem with this. Highly Recommended.

Lost in Muscadet Vineyard in Nantes. And a Simply Better Surprise.

Lost in Muscadet Vineyard in Nantes. 

And a Simply Better Surprise.

Lost in Nantes? Encore?

Domaine de la Fessardière  “L’Air Innocent” Muscadet Sevre et Maine (AOC) Sur Lie 2015, €18.65 Mary Pawle

Brittany Ferries opened the Cork-Roscoff route in 1978 and, for quite a few years afterwards, virtually every Cork driver visiting France got lost in Nantes. Happened to myself once and I ended up in the vineyards to the south-east of the city (not the worst of outcomes, quite recoverable). French roads have improved a lot since then and now most major cities, including Nantes, have either a rocade or a périphérique.

Like most early ferry travellers, we didn’t go too far in the first year or two, mainly to the south of Brittany around Concarneau, Guerande and Carnac. The supermarché (even the odd hyper) were the main attractions for the first (and last) few days of the hols with the male eyes concentrating on the bottom shelves and the bottles of Muscadet for less than punt! Got a lot of it then (also Gros Plant, even cheaper) and that cheap stuff put many off the fruit of the Melon de Bourgogne grape for years.

Bit by bit though we began to realise that two very important words on the bottle were Sur Lie, though only a year or two back the somm in a five star hotel in Kerry didn’t seem to know them. Glad to say that this bottle is Sur Lie (raised on lees) and is a splendid offering via Mary Pawle Wines.

It has indeed been kept on its lees for six months. Besides there is no added sulphur and the fruit has been hand-harvested.The grape variety is the normal Melon de Bourgogne and the vineyard follows organic methods. 

Mary says it is round and unctuous in the mouth and a good match with seafood or a semi-soft cheese.  In addition, the producers recommend “fish in sauce, poultry with the cream, cooked cheese like the county (Comté, I presume) or Cantal.”

The name of this round, fresh and fruity wine, “L’Air Innocent”, emphasises this closeness to nature. Colour is a very light straw, bright and healthy looking. The aromas, delicate and appealing, are of white fruit (apple). Apple flavours are somewhat stronger than the scents and there’s a touch of citrus too, also a refreshing acidity, a tingle of minerality as well, and it also has a pleasant long finish. Highly Recommended.

Principesco Pinot Grigio Terre Siciliane (IGT) 2017, 12%, €12.50 Dunnes Stores

First sip and a pleasant surprise. Yellow fruit flavours lead to a very pleasing palate. Nice bit of acidity too and all combine in a lovely finalé. The colour is a pale straw. Aromas of peach and apple hint of good things to come. A decent wine at a decent price from a surprising source as I wouldn’t have thought of Sicily as a hotbed of Pinot Grigio.

This wine has been exclusively selected for Dunnes Stores Simply Better. It is produced by Casa Fondata on the sunny island off the toe of Italy. Dunnes recommend it as a “perfect accompaniment to our Roasted Cod with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil & Mozzarella”. 

Three Country Wine Tour with Karwig's

Three European wines from Karwig's, each from a different country and each highly recommended. Take a trip!

Domaine de la Potardière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine (AOC) Sur Lie 2017, 12%, €15.95 Karwig Wine

Holiday feeling on the Loire.

Back in the 80s, and maybe earlier, many Irish motoring tourists, most having gotten lost in pre-peripherique Nantes, were venturing no further south than Brittany, and were dipping their beer trained beer stained tongues in French wine, mostly Muscadet or the even more ghostly (or should that be ghastly) Gros Plant. Muscadet at less then a punt a bottle was a great wine while on the hols but not so good when you got it home. Unless it was Sur Lie, matured on its lees.

Now we know what to ask for and with Sur Lie you do have a better chance though some other Muscadets can be fine as well. Muscadet, we thought, was the grape. It’s not. The grape is Melon of Burgundy; the Loire region (near Nantes) in which it is grown is known as the Muscadet area but apparently Muscadet is not an actual geographic place.

This bottle from Karwig’s has just the merest yellow colour, aromas of white fruit, melon prominent. It is lively and fruity on the palate - that holiday feeling - time on the lees has added a certain creaminess; it is totally fresh, a good citrusy finish, overall very engaging and easy to give it the thumbs up. Highly Recommended. Bring on those fish platters in the Relais Routiers, even a DIY selection from Pat O’Connell.

Food pairing tips  : Perfect accompaniment to oysters, seafood in general, fish, sushi.

Quinta do Valdoeiro Syrah Bairrada DOC (Portugal) 2015, 12.5%, €23.95 Karwig Wine

This is not your normal Syrah but is a very interesting one. The vineyard says it has a lot of potential and will “definitely grow in the bottle”. They point out that the striking minerality comes from the red clay (terracotta) soils, the freshness from the proximity of the Atlantic. It is naturally stabilised so sediment is a possibility and they advise serving at ten to twelve degrees. New oak has been used here.

Colour is an intense ruby. Aromas of ripe plums, cherry, also vanilla notes. On the palate it is fresh and fruity, spice, smooth with youthful power, lively acidity and persistent in the finish. Would certainly like to try it in a few years. For now, this very interesting Syrah is Highly Recommended.

Gran Passione Rosso Veneto (IGT) 2016, 14%, €13.95 Karwig Wine

This is an Amarone type wine at an un-Amarone price. It is from the area around Venice and is a blend of Merlot (60%) and Corvina. Corvina is the principal grape in red Valpolicella wines. The interesting thing here is that the grapes are naturally dried on vines for about 15 days. This process helps towards a more intense wine and that is the case here.

Colour is dark ruby. Very pleasant aromas of ripe fruits (cherry, plum), a touch of vanilla too. Velvety and concentrated black and red fruit flavours, mild spice and soft tannins, quite a long finish. Overall a rich and well-balanced palate and Highly Recommended. 

A Trio of White Alternatives

A Trio of White Alternatives

Landron La Louvetrie Muscadet Sevre et Maine (AP) 2015, 12%, €15.65 Wines Direct

This fresh tasting Muscadet is a long way from the many cheap ones consumed on half-forgotten Breton holidays. It has been rasied sur lie, is organic, biodynamic (vegan friendly). The grape used by the way is not called Muscadet (as many of us holidaymakers then thought) but the local Melon de Bourgogne. It is light bodied, dry, with medium to high acidity and they recommend using it with mussels, oysters and herb omelette.

You’ll note light gold with tints of green in the glass, yeasty aromas, a tingly mouthfeel with lively citrus fruit; rather elegant - the time on lees has helped. All in all, a pleasurable renewal of acquaintance with a wine I once (maybe more than once) had more than enough of. Highly Recommended.

Great for fish and shellfish they say but why not try it my way - with trout (both tinned and fresh, not at the same time!) from the marvellous Goatsbridge Farm in Kilkenny.

La Fonte Vermentino di Terrabianca Tuscany (IGT) 2015, 12.5%, €16.15 Karwig Wines

This is another fresh and fruity wine, on a par for quality with the Muscadet. Colour is a very light straw and the aromas are on the slight side. After the lightness of the aromas, the palate is a surprise and a very pleasant one at that, a smooth feel and then those fresh and concentrated fruit flavours (grapefruit, lemon), excellent acidity and a long finish as well. Reminds me of a good quality Sauvignon. Highly Recommended.

Casa Maria Verdejo, Castilla Y Leon (VDT) 2014, 12.5%, €10.45 Le Caveau

Steely pale yellow is the producer’s apt description of the colour. Aromas too are rather muted, suggestions of apple. On the palate though, it has much more going for it, fresh and dry and zesty with green fruit flavours and a good finish.

Agricola Castellana is a long standing and important coop and this Recommended wine is very approachable and food friendly. Ideal with a salad of Goatsbridge Farm trout, other fresh fish, shellfish. Try it too as an aperitif with olives. Besides, it will do well too with spicy sauces.