From Muscadet head-turner Jérôme Bretaudeau, a new cuvée that’s energetic, delicious, and – a touch less expensive than the rest of the lineup.

Bretaudeau is known for making wine from a wild array of varietals (and aging vessels) rarely seen in this part of the Loire Valley. But, there’s no doubt that his Melon is also among the most terroir-expressive benchmarks of the region; well outpacing the area’s tasty-but-simple oyster pairings, he makes Muscadet with incredible breadth.

He also harvests and vinifies not just by site and soil type, but by vine age, so details are important:

‘Théia’ is his newest Melon cuvée, from a plot planted in 1988 just next to the Gaïa vineyard.

Like the rest of his estate, it’s farmed biodynamically; and (like Gaïa) the soil is gabbro, a black volcanic rock that pulls a more tense, focused Melon. Harvested by hand, direct press, and aged on the lees for 8 months in concrete vat and foudre; minimal SO2 at bottling.

It’s salty and stony, with a punch of bitter anise that keeps it mouthwatering; a quenching bottle that cuts through this humid-but-cool stretch of September.

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