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2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”

Eric Chevalier
Discount Eligible $22.00
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Éric Chevalier is out to prove that Muscadet is a versatile white, with countless purposes beyond washing down oysters. He boldly switched to organic farming and ditched his machine harvester for the tried-and-true two hands and a pair of pruning shears—sadly, both uncommon practices in the region. His cellar work further differentiates him from the Muscadet masses, as he relies solely on indigenous yeasts for fermentation, uses tiny doses of sulfur, and filters minimally.
     Of the twenty-five hectares he farms, the largest percentage of his production is dedicated to Melon de Bourgogne. No other grape variety can translate a salty ocean breeze quite like it. At Éric’s domaine, just a stone’s throw from the Atlantic coast, the vineyards lie in the direct path of incessant onshore winds. And yet the first impression in his Muscadet is a lovely whisper of florality, perhaps the aromatic footprint of organically farmed old vines with no added yeast and a modest use of sulfur. When the flowers subside, the salt kicks in, leaving your palate both charmed and salivating for more.

Anthony Lynch


Technical Information
Wine Type: white
Vintage: 2022
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Melon de Bourgogne
Appellation: Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu
Country: France
Region: Loire
Producer: Éric Chevalier
Winemaker: Éric Chevalier
Vineyard: 50 years; 6 ha
Soil: Serpentinite, eclogite, quartz
Aging: Wine stays in foudre for fermentation and élevage, then raised 10-12 months depending on the vintage
Farming: Organic (certified)
Alcohol: 11.5%

More from this Producer or Region

About The Region

Loire

map of Loire

The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?

Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.

Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.

Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.

More from Loire or France

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$239.00 $319.00
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Sampler Includes:

2023 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite” $46.00
A sleek and racy Chenin, with focus and precision. Made from nearly hundred-year-old vines, it’s a great initiation into the world of Thierry’s white wines, and tastes of wet stone, pear, and citrus.

2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Echelier” $79.00 
Grapes grow on a limestone plateau in an eighteenth-century clos. This bottling glistens with nerve and draws a firm line on the palate from its stony soil, composed of the highly porous tuffeau chalk.

2023 Saumur Champigny “Cuvée Domaine” $29.00
An elegant, younger-vine cuvée that’s peppery and stony. Full of vigor and charm, this is his most versatile red.

2021 Saumur Champigny “Terres Chaudes” $42.00 
Made mostly from the celebrated lieu-dit Les Poyeux, the resulting wine is as pure an expression of Cabernet Franc as one could imagine, surpassing expectations of what this variety can do.

2021 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale” $56.00
A cuvée that’s made in worthy vintages only, from a warm, south-facing parcel that reaches levels of maturity unmatched in the region. In its youth, the palate is plush and saline. Over time, it offers delicate notes of peony and sour cherry.

2021 Saumur Champigny “Les Mémoires” $67.00 
Here, centenarian vines from the walled-in Clos de La Folie grow on a rare combination of silex and limestone, at the highest point in the appellation. This cooler outpost offers a profound wine that courses with energy and wisdom.

Normally $319.00
SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $239.00
(a 25% discount)

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Inspiring Thirst

I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.

Inspiring Thirst, page 171