This domaine, 18 kilometres south of Nantes (with its beautiful waterways and giant mechanical elephant), is owned and meticulously run by Sébastien Branger. The domaine’s 27 hectares stretch across numerous terroirs, but this cuvée hails from younger vines (15 to 35 years old) which ripen early, on a gneiss-rich slope overlooking the river Sèvre. It’s hand harvested and aged for seven months on its lees. Slightly spritzy in the glass, as any good young Muscadet should be, with classic citrus aromas. The palate is feather-weight, with a modest 12 percent alcohol and electrifying acidity. This is a maritime wine, in the vein of a Txakoli or Vinho Verde, and an ideal accompaniment to all seafood, notably oysters or moules marinières.
 

This super cuvée is made from a 7.2 hectare parcel overlooking the Maine river at Saint-Fiacre (the birthplace of Commissaire Maigret according to his creator, Georges Simenon). Beneath the vines is a band of blue-ish amphibolite rock, to which winemaker Sébastien Branger attributes this wine’s intensity and salty, mineral character. Without sacrificing the lively acidity that’s a hallmark of all the best Muscadets, Les Gras Moutons (The Fat Sheep) is rendered a little more corpulent by a well-judged 14 months on its lees. Exceptionally good with rich seafood dishes like lobster thermidor.