The Loire Valley is a one-stop shop of sorts for all wine styles. Weightless and intensely mouthwatering Muscadets made from the Melon grape are particularly well suited to sea critters and shellfish. Brégeon’s Réserve, included in this pack, has added complexity thanks to his gabbro terroir and several years of bottle age. Crisp and peachy whites produced from Sauvignon Blanc are vividly electric and unmatched for their distinct cassis-bud and orchard fruit aromas. Salvard’s Unique, for example, is so bright and refreshing, you’ll feel hydrated while sipping on it! A classic appellation like Vouvray—which can be vinified dry, sparkling, or sweet—has a wildly different profile than other Chenin-based appellations. Champalou’s full-bodied and seductive Vouvray Le Portail is beaming with luminosity and could elevate rich dishes such as buttery salmon or shrimp scampi. But Chenin Blanc, planted in Savennières, channels Chablis with its steely backbone and the hint of lanolin you taste in Épiré’s Cuvée Spéciale.
      To round out our Loire blanc top picks, we’ve included a library release of an heirloom variety called Fié Gris. In its youth, it’s all flint and green grass, but years later we’re left with ripe melon on the nose and a gravelly minerality on the palate. I drank it alongside an arugula salad topped with pear, gorgonzola, and caramelized walnuts, which brought out a dynamic side I didn’t think possible for such a humble bottling.