Luneau Papin

2022 La Grange Vieilles Vignes

This wine may represent the best bang for buck in our entire book. This old-vine vineyard was once the eponymous plot of the house, formerly called Domaine de la Grange decades ago. Jon Bonné describes the wine as "overtly rich but wonderfully shish-edged" in his recently released magnum opus, The New French Wine. It is a wine that typifies great Muscadet while standing on its own singularity.

Serve at 12˚C. Excellent as an aperitif with shellfish, fish in a sea salt crust, roasted fillet of sea bream, Asian cuisine, or fresh cheeses.

“You might try 100 AA to ZZ examples of melon de bourgogne from the appellation of Muscadet Sèvre Et Maine Sur Lie and never come across one like this La Grange. Fruit at a two to one ratio and tres hombres character while words like lean, briny and salty don’t really apply. Expressions like sweet sea air and fleshy stone fruit, however do. This is packed with flavour, texture and yet there is an underlying subtlety of sea shell and salinity that keeps it real. Depth is present, harvest from low yields for sure, maybe even some vine age. Expensive at the top of the denomination but truly worth a visit for a different, but also wow expression of Muscadet. Total discovery, “hmm, hmm, hmm. Have mercy.” Drink 2024-2027”
92 points, Michael Godel, Wine Align, April 2024

“The 2022 La Grange is made from grapes grown on schist and mica-schist soils. It has a delightful bouquet of lemon oil, menthol and white fruits, followed by a medium-bodied and juicy texture with bright acids and an energetic, tense and mouthwatering finish. This classic Muscadet could evolve beautifully over the next two to four years.”
90 points, Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate, August 2023