Philippe Chevarin, "Le Souffle" 2020

Producer Profile: On the western end of the Loire Valley, where the Loire churns into the Atlantic, Muscadet (grape: Melon de Bourgogne) reigns supreme. The ideal wine to pair with oysters and northern European maritime fare. Some forty-five minutes inland, Phillippe Chevarin fell out of love with a life in audio-engineering and into a life of the vine where he has since been making supremely drinkable reds (in addition to one or two white cuvées). He tends 5.3 hectares in an area that would be in the AOCs Muscadet des Coteaux-de-la-Loire and Coteaux d’Ancenis, about half an hour northeast of Nantes.

Vinification & Tasting Notes: 100% Melon de Bourgogne. Grapes are hand-harvested and direct pressed into fiberglass. Fermented with wild yeasts and aged on the fine lees. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, with no SO2. Not your average Muscadet! This is a bit denser, more lush, and cloudy. Full of nutty, savory flavors and warming spices, all the while maintaining a delicate palate of orchard fruits and citrus. A comforting, surprising wintry white.