Domaine Landron, "Pinot Gris Aussi" 2022

In the north of the Muscadet appellation there is an area with a figurative promontory-like view of the Loire's mouth and its meeting with the Atlantic: Coteaux d'Ancenis. Less heralded than the Sevre et Maine sub-region of Muscadet, the d'Ancenis is supremely influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic ocean. The wines here really do wear the chisel of a northern seaport -- and for the Landron-Chartier estate, it is nice to see a new aspect from which to understand Muscadet given the fact that its head, Bernard, is a third-generation winemaker who used to work with his brother Jo (the famous mustachioed man of Muscadet) on family vines in the Sevre et Maine. Now spread over a mix of vineyard and farm land totaling in at 25 hectares, the Landron-Chartier project works with a host of westerly Loire varieties: Folle Blanche, Melon de Bourgogne, Pinot Gris, Gamay, Cab Franc & Sauvignon with the majority being planted to Melon. They operate out of Oudon near a few other natural growers we've stocked, Rémi Sédes & Phillippe Chevarin among them.