Domaine des Cognettes Muscadet Sevre et Maine Clisson 2019

Brothers Stephane and Vincent Perraud, ninth generation winemakers in the Pays Nantais, are producing some of Muscadet's most thrilling wines from their organically certified vineyards. They adopted organic methods out of a belief that healthy, living soils for their vines lead to better quality fruit, and finer wines, alongside a desire to work alongside their local ecosystem. In the last few years they have been planting hedgerows around their vineyards, to act as nature corridors and help resist soil erosion.

Since 2011 the best villages of Muscadet have been able to put their name to special Cru wines. Clisson, from granite soils rich in mica, produces fine and intense wines suitable for ageing in bottle.

The Perraud's Clisson comes from vines up to 87 years old, hand-harvested before fermentation with the native yeasts present on the grapes. A slow fermentation followed by 36 months ageing in underground concrete tanks is key to the depth and texture of this fine wine.

Yellow plums, citrus fruits, buttered toast and flinty notes mingle on the nose before the creamy, long and balanced palate. Like a fine white Burgundy this sits in perfect harmony, with an extremely long finish and tense acidity maintaining freshness.