TECHNICAL INFO

Varietal/Blend:  100% Melon de Bourgogne

ABV:  13.0%

Vineyard:  Vera Cruz 2023 comes from a distinctive plot in the village of Vallet, planted in 1974 on a bedrock of micaschist and gneiss with two micas. Officially named Vera Cruz, the site carries a local legend: a shipwrecked sailor gave it its name after being stranded on these lands. This storied vineyard produces wines of depth and mineral tension.

The 2023 vintage brought a year of balance—early warmth, midsummer rains, and late-season heat. To protect the unique expression of each site, the team monitored the vines closely throughout the season.

Farming is fully natural, using no chemicals. Biodynamic treatments such as horn dung (500) in spring and horn silica (501) before harvest are applied as needed. Vines are pruned in single Guyot and planted at a density of 6,500 per hectare. Harvesting is done by hand, with careful sorting before pressing to preserve purity and precision in the final wine.

Cellar: Spontaneous fermentation using only natural yeasts. Fermentation and maturation on lees in
underground glass lined vats during 16 months without racking until bottling in january 2025.

CSPC:  128675

Winemakers Note: Serve at 12°C.
Tartare of mackerel and sea bream, snacked langoustines, pan-seared scallops with citrus fruits.

What the Critics are saying: A cuvée that was introduced to the range in the 2015 vintage, Vera Cruz is sourced from vines planted on micaschist and gneiss with two micas (gneiss veined with both biotite and muscovite, if you’re interested) in 1974. It opens with an intense and lightly smoky nose filled with crushed limestone and white chocolate, freshened by a flinty reduction. The joy continues on the palate which is beautifully textured, full and fresh, with velvety citrus fruits, filled with fine minerals and fresh acids, giving lift to what is a rather voluptuous palate. A clean finish, long, bitter, acid-fresh and charged, this is a beautiful showing from a wine which was only bottled one week before this tasting. The alcohol on the label is 13%. From a 2025 Update. 94/100 (Chris Kissack, Winedoctor, February 2025)

Vera Cruz carries us by an incredible saline strength and a concentration in mouth both stimulating and soothing. A very nice definition of muscadet.
Guide vert RVF 2024 by Alexis Goujard

The melon of Burgundy, grape variety in Muscadet appellation, does not easily deliver its fruity side. However, when the summer weather is good and the vines are cared for by talented winegrowers like Luneau-Papin, the melon can also surprise with its aromatic intensity.
The 2020 Vera Cruz cuvée is reminiscent of certain Chablis wines, offering a happy marriage of lightness and volume, with flavors of fresh pear and butter, on a shell background and saline notes, reminding that the ocean is not far away. Of all the known appellations in France, the Muscadet is undoubtedly the most marked by the Atlantic influence. A perfect match for crab and Nordic shrimp.
Le goût de l’Océan by le journal de Montréal April 2023

TECHNICAL INFO

Country:  France

Region:  Pays Nantais, Loire Valley

Appellation:  Muscadet Sèvre & Maine AOC

Climate: 

Altitude: 

Soils: 

Varietal/Blend:  100% Melon de Bourgogne

Fermentation:  Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts in old oak puncheons.

Ageing: 

Vineyard & Vine Age:  Bull Swamp and Manilla vineyards in Baw Baw Shire. The vines were planted in 1961 and and 1964 respectively.

ABV:  13.0%

Produced Cases:  50

CSPC:  128675