Philippe Chevarin, “La Decrue” 2020

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.

Made from Gamay, as well as its darker-fleshed cousin Gamay Teinturier. After a manual harvest, the grapes are direct pressed into fiberglass and fermented with wild yeasts. Bottled unfined, unfiltered with no SO2. Juicy and delicate, with a nice balance of acidity, ripe red fruits and a mineral, salty edge.