Pierre-Marie & Marie Luneau, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie 'Garance'

A benchmark, organic, Muscadet from one of the best producers of the western Loire. A perfect wine to have on hand for seafood, oysters and the like and it's also great pre-meal nibbles and canapes, or just by itself.

The lower Loire Valley, South-East of Nantes is home to Muscadet, France's famous seafood friendly wine. This superior example from Luneau-Papin is one that should help you put your prejudices about thin and tart examples of this style to one side. After spending time on its lees it's bottled without filtration or fining which helps the flavour profile no end. Dry, crisp and mineral, as it should be, there's a generosity and richness that marks it out as a cut above the norm. It's going down the road to a taut and steely Chablis, but without the price tag.

Pierre Luneau, with the support of his wife Monique, started making superb Muscadet back in the 1970's and over the years has become recognized as one of the leading exponents in the lower Loire. He keeps a variety of thoroughbred Muscadets in his stable and on his table, terroir differentiation being the name of the game. The vines may be grown on sands and gravel, on granite and gneiss mica, schist or volcanic gabbro, but the mineral, salty nuances are always present and the capacity to age built into the steely structure of the wines. In 2005 they were joined by their son Pierre-Marie, and shortly thereafter his wife Marie, who are now the driving forces of the Domaine and keeping to the high standards achieved by their parents.