Le Fils des Gras Moutons Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2018 (Loire) - Wine Review

Following up on the lovely 2018 Domaine La Haute Févrie Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie that I opened on Friday, tonight's wine review is another Muscadet from the same producer - and same vintage. It arrived in LCBO VINTAGES on June 27 and plenty are available throughout the province.

This white wine is produced by independent winemaker Sébastien Branger at Domaine Haute Févrie in Muscadet. Located in the heart of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation, 18 km southeast of Nantes, in Loire, the estate vines are grown on hills overlooking the Sèvre River, ‎between the communes of Saint-Fiacre and Monnières, and enjoy optimum ripening conditions. Sébastien is the fourth generation of his family of winemakers that have carefully tended to the vines.

Today, all 26 hectares of estate vineyards are located within the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine PDO. There are several distinct plots of vineyards, each with a different aspect and soil type that are either siliceous clay or gravelly and shallow, with sub-soils of gneiss, ‎orthogneiss and amphibolites. Because of this diversity of soils, Sébastien is able to produce many styles of wines that are specific to the site, such as this "Gras Moutons" that is made with fruit from the Saint-Fiacre area. In addition, the vines are cultivated with respect for the environment and without the use of chemical fertilizers in order to grow the wines in a more natural manner.

I have enjoyed previous vintages of this white wine, including most recently the 2016 Le Fils des Gras Moutons Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie, so let's how the 2018 is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LE FILS DES GRAS MOUTONS MUSCADET SÈVRE ET MAINE SUR LIE 2018 - AC, Loire, France (#363150) (XD) - $16.95
100% Melon de Bourgogne that was hand-picked from 40 to 70 year old vines. The medium intensity nose offers lemon citrus with melon aromas surrounded by stony, oyster shell minerality. The fleshy, medium+ bodied has gentle acidity and flavours of lemon/lime citrus and oyster shell mineral with touches of melon and stone fruits. Nice chalky mineral texture on the mid-palate, while the finish length is very good, closing with stony mineral notes. Enjoy now with seafood. Score: 87 pts

Other wines from Domaine Haute Févrie can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.