Muscadet

Muscadets continue to be some of the best values in wine.  Made from 100% Melon de Bourgone grape.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has crushed shells, salinity and just a hint of lemon.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is all about minerality.  Depth.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This is great on its own but the classic pairing is oysters.  Drink over the next five to seven years, but it will probably go longer.  Don't listen to those who say they need to be consumed in the first year or two.  

There are not many better values in wine than Muscadet.  This is one of the better ones and it can be had for under $30. This is made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape from 60 year old vines.  Silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has crushed shells, salinity and a hint of peach.  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is crisp but with no hard edges.  Crushed shell notes and a slight peachy quality.  Good finish.  This is a perfect choice with oysters but will work well with salads as well.  A great summer wine.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

From one of the top producers of Muscadet, this is a crisp white and excellent value.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean with crushed shells, salinity, and slight lemon.  Medium bodied.  A bit rounder in texture than many Muscadets.  On the palate, minerals, crushed shells and slight lemon.  Good finish.  This wine is nice on its own but better with food.  A great choice with shellfish, but also nice with Artichoke Dip (not an easy match).  Drink over the next few years.  

I have always felt that Muscadet can age better than given credit for.  Yes, with age it loses some of that raw crispness, but it rounds out and can get almost Chablis-like.  Of course, that depends on the producer.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is classic with salinity/crushed shells along with lanolin and a hint of citrus.  Medium bodied.

Muscadets have been some of the best values in the wine world for some time and although the price has risen, they still hold that distinction.  This was the final year that Mark Olivier, whose reputation is at the top of Muscadets, was working at his winery.  It is 100% Melon de Bourgone grown organically.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has an interesting herbal (almost minty) note along with slight citrus and plenty of salinity and minerality.  A bit of crushed shells as well.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, almonds and citrus.  Nice finish.  Refreshing.  This

Muscadets are usually tremendous values.  Crisp, inexpensive and delicious white wines from the Loire Valley in France.  This one is all of those.  Pale silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has crushed shells, lemons and sea air.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has lots of minerality, crushed shells, salinity but also lemons to tie it all together.  Some depth and complexity.  These will age longer than one might think, maybe ten to fifteen years, but they are best when young and crisp.  The perfect foil for oysters.  

Muscadet remains one of the best values in wine today.  Silver/gold in color, clear and bright.  The now is all about minerality although there are lime nuances.  Medium bodied.  Nice backbone of acidity.  On the palate, lots of crushed rock and minerals along with some salinity and a bit of limes.  Long finish.  Lots of energy.  This is lively.  Dry.  It is great on its own and very food friendly.  While it will match with a wide vairety of food, oysters or any shell fish is a great idea.  Drink over the next ten years.  

Muscadet's are some of the best values in the wine world.  This one sells for around $13.  Light golden in color.  The nose has a nice minerality along with crushed shells and some sea air.  A slight hint of lime peel.  Om the palate, there is a nice tart acidity.  Some green apple notes and a long finish. The classic pairing would be with oysters but this will work with a wide variety of lighter foods.   These are best drunk in their youth, i.e. Now!

$12.  This is a nice value although the world of Muscadets in filled with nice to amazing values.  The best Muscadets will age, many will hold if not improve in the cellar and some need to be drunk younger.  This one seems to be in the later category.  At this point, it doesn't have that crisp freshness that makes Muscadets so welcome.  Medium gold in color.  The nose has apples and slight dust and even slighter lemon juice.  On the palate, this is fat.  Sour apple notes.  A bit clipped on the finish.  That said, it is reasonably food friendly.  A solid wine at a very fair price.  Perhaps a

A great example of one of the top Muscadets.  This cost $15 on release and a recent vintage is not much more.  Its been aged for 14 years and it was wonderful.  Still fresh, crisp and enjoyable.  Golden in color.  The nose is great.  Complex with sea air, sea shells and slight honey notes.  On the palate, this is laser precision minerals.  Slightly oily texture.  Some salinity.  For those who prefer oysters, this is the perfect match but works with other food as well.  Long finish.  Just a gorgeous $15 bottle of wine.