To understand the Muscadet region, one must understand the idea of ‘Sur Lie’ – with lees. The ‘lees’ are the dead yeast cells after they have converted the grape sugar into alcohol. This fine powdery silt rests on the bottom of the tank or barrel and slowly gets absorbed into the wines. It is a natural preservative which helps white wine age longer, as well as accentuates a mineral character in the wine. This minerality is expressed through salty, savory notes that we associate with the rock minerals in the soil. It also creates a richer, crunchier texture and offers up hints of fresh baked bread on the nose and in the finish. ‘Bâtonnage’ is the practice of stirring the lees to allow for more absorption.

The Domaine Saint-Martin Muscadet expresses aromatics of citrus, green orchard fruits, melon, and a pleasant herbal bit-terness with a touch of salinity. Did you like Sweet-tarts candy as a kid? Then this might just bring you back to those simpler times.

VARIETAL NOTES

Melon de Bourgogne is often times referred to by the region it comes from, Muscadet. As the name implies, this grape was once planted in Burgundy, but was gradually removed through the 16th century in favor of grapes like Chardonnay and Aligoté. We now associate the character of the wine with the classic lees aging (Sur Lie) that is frequently used for these wines of the Muscadet region. FOOD PAIRING

Perfect with raw oysters, steamed mussels, crab cakes, and anything else from the sea for that matter. Great with mild Asian dishes like dim sum, dumplings, or tempura fried vegetables.

Domaine Saint-Martin Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine

WinemakingWinemaker:

Gerard VinetA delicate, temperature-con-trolled, whole-cluster pressing and fermentation with 6-8 months on the fine lees (Sur Lie) with bâton-nage (stirring the lees). Bottled in late May of the following year.

Variety100% Melon de Bourgogne

Personally selected, hand-harvested winesfrom the best family vineyards.

France > Muscadet Sèvre et Maine > Loire

Terroir9 hectares (22 acres) in the village of Château Thébaud on mica schist soils with gneiss and gran-ite. Of the 9 hectares, one is an old parcel of 60+ year-old-vines.

Production 4,000 cases

Gustave Vinet acquired the family’s first holdings, Do-maine de la Quilla, in 1948 in the village of La Haye-Fouassière, just nine miles from the Atlantic coast.

Today his son Gérard and his wife Laurence farm the diverse terroirs of the appellation, spread among the Cru villages of La Haye Fouassière and Château-Thébaud.

The Vinet family take their vocation seriously, farming and studying the various soil types of the appellation and then trans-lating them into distinctive wines with extended lees contact. The fact that Gérard has recently been appointed as president of both the Muscadet appellation and the entire Loire Valley shows his standing among his peers, and the standard of quality he upholds in the vineyards and in the winery.

The Muscadet region is just nine miles from the Atlantic ocean in the Loire valley, just south of the city of Nantes. We are currently in an exciting time for the Muscadet region. There are ten Crus that have recently been recognized for their superior quality and age-worthy wines.

The Vinet family vineyards are found within two of these Crus, La Haye-Fouassière and Château-Thébaud in the heart of the Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine Appellation. The appellation gets its name from the two rivers that connect here just before the ocean in the far western corner of the Loire valley. The grape, Melon de Bourgogne, is used to make energetic wines that gain weight and texture through extended lees contact (lees are the dead yeast cells that accumulate after fermentation) and the wines are referred to as Muscadet.

The Vinet family makes three distinctively different wines from the same grape grown on different soils throughout these two communes. They are marked by extended lees contact with the wines from Clos de la Houssaie, remaining on the lees for 2 years before bottling.

Personally selected, hand-harvested winesfrom the best family vineyards.

Estate owned by: Gérard and Laurence VinetWinemaker: Gérard VinetYear Founded:1948Farming and Land: Certified sustainable farming by Terra Vitis (2010) on 55 hectares (135 acres) of unique soils comprised of schist, mica, gneiss, and amphibolite. These rocky soils express white wines of distinction, nine miles from the ocean where the Sèvre and Maine rivers connect.

Production:Domaine de la Quilla: 10,000 casesDomaine Saint Martin: 4,000 casesClos de la Houssaie: 300 cases

France > Muscadet Sèvre et Maine > Loire