The wine

For years Muscadet was written up as being a pretty homogenous region and variations in terroir were little discussed. That has been changing recently with an increasing number of growers producing wines based on specific soils or villages within the region. Gorges is one of the very best villages and as such was defined as a Muscadet 'Cru' in 2011. The appellation straddles the river Sevre and is based on clay and quartz on top of gabbro subsoils.

In Vincent's case this terrific terroir combines with his meticulous approach in the vineyards to deliver grapes with excellent concentration and, therefore, depth of flavour. After pressing and ferment using native yeasts the finished wine is left to age on the lees for four years (more than many Champagnes) helping to build weight and complexity into the finished wine. The arrival of Cru Muscadet is marking its best producers out as the equals of their more lauded compatriots elsewhere in the Loire and Burgundy - brilliant, complex, idiosyncratic wines at great prices, who could ask for more?

The producer

The recent revival in the interest in ‘serious’ Muscadet has really helped to refocus...