Moving back up north, farther north than Bordeaux, lays the Loire Valley.

The Loire

Founded around the Loire River, the Loire can be broken down into three different region, east, middle, and west.  Located by the Atlantic, the Loire is a cooler climate, but still manages to make nearly every type of wine, including sparkling and sweet.  Stylistically, this means that categorizing another of the largest regions in France is particularly difficult, but there is one common theme.  All of the the wines from the Loire, are bright, lithe, and taut.

With so many regions, let’s start in the west, and work east.

Muscadet

When it comes to a go to wine for seafood, perhaps few wines should be as front of mind as Muscadet.  Made from the melon de Bourgogne grape, the wines are fermented in stainless-steel, producing lean wines, with plenty of minerality and easy going, bright fruits.  The best of these tend to come from Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine.  At a level above these, is any labeled sur lie (or on the lees).  These wines spend time on yeast for several months, and it ends up adding a spritzyness and a touch of weight.

Manoir de la Firetière Muscadet Sèvre Et Maine

While a lot of French wine is particularly expensive, that isn’t the case for Muscadet.  Siting among those at the top of the line is Manoir de la Firetière Muscadet Sèvre Et Maine which is sur lie.  Does it do justice though?

Sight:  Pale, lighter on the spectrum, more toward straw in color, with very watery edges.

Smell:  Slightly briny, but fresh with plenty of honeydew and lime. Nuances of lemons, unripe apricots, and minerality all get caught in a bright nose that implies a lively body.  A hint of herbalness creeps in

Sip:   The body is super lively, with tons of citrus loaded up on top of each other ranging from lemon to orange to lime.  Other flavors, like honeydew and hints of herbs are overrun with citrus, but minerality like wet stones and graphite creep in.  It’s hard to overstate the brightness.

Savor:  The finish has a lick of graphite that compliments the lemon-lime nature.  The full effect is refreshing, if short lived.

Manoir de la Firetière Muscadet Sèvre Et Maine is a mouthful to say, but very simple to drink.  The name of the game here is bright, citrus flavors mixed with hints of minerality.  Complexity is minimal, but that’s to be expected here, as this wine is more for drinking than thinking.  If you’re having seafood, Manoir de la Firetière Muscadet Sèvre Et Maine is a strong choice at a cheap price.

Verdict:  Lemon, Lime, Minerality, Bright
Rating: 81
Price: $10
Muscadet de Sèvre Et Maine, France