Louis Métaireau 'Carte Noire' Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie, Nantes, Loire Valley, France 2024
Louis Métaireau, alongside his group of like-minded growers known as the vignerons d'art, was instrumental in restoring the reputation of Muscadet in the mid-20th century — he was the first to age his wines sur lie through the winter, a practice that eventually gave rise to the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie designation itself. Today the estate is run by his daughter, Marie-Luce Métaireau, and her husband, Jean-François Guilbaud, alongside successor Julien Rossignol, who have reassembled the parcels of the original vignerons d'art into the Grand Mouton vineyard, one of the most prized sites in Muscadet.
- WINEMAKER: Marie-Luce Métaireau and Jean-François Guilbaud, with Julien Rossignol.
- FARMING: Certified organic; sustainable practices; grapes are hand-harvested, a rarity in a region where the vast majority of fruit is machine-picked.
- VARIETY: 100% Melon de Bourgogne.
- TERROIR: Fruit comes from the Grand Mouton vineyard, a nine-hectare (23-acre) site in the commune of Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine, situated between the Sèvre and Maine rivers at the heart of the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine appellation. Vines were planted in the 1950s and grow on gneiss, granite, and amphibolite soils; the site's exceptional sun exposure allows for one of the earliest harvests in France.
- VINIFICATION: Each parcel is hand-harvested and fermented separately using native yeast.
- AGING: The wine rests on its lees over the winter in concrete and glass vats, then is racked off the lees by gravity alone the following spring, without stirring or filtration beforehand.
- TASTING NOTES: Fresh citrus — lemon and grapefruit — with subtle floral lift and a green apple edge; the sur lie aging lends a light creaminess to the texture, framed by bright acidity and a saline, mineral-driven finish.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Oysters and other raw or lightly cooked shellfish, goat cheese, and light seafood-forward salads.
Louis Métaireau 'Carte Noire' Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie, Nantes, Loire Valley, France 2024
Louis Métaireau, alongside his group of like-minded growers known as the vignerons d'art, was instrumental in restoring the reputation of Muscadet in the mid-20th century — he was the first to age his wines sur lie through the winter, a practice that eventually gave rise to the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie designation itself. Today the estate is run by his daughter, Marie-Luce Métaireau, and her husband, Jean-François Guilbaud, alongside successor Julien Rossignol, who have reassembled the parcels of the original vignerons d'art into the Grand Mouton vineyard, one of the most prized sites in Muscadet.
- WINEMAKER: Marie-Luce Métaireau and Jean-François Guilbaud, with Julien Rossignol.
- FARMING: Certified organic; sustainable practices; grapes are hand-harvested, a rarity in a region where the vast majority of fruit is machine-picked.
- VARIETY: 100% Melon de Bourgogne.
- TERROIR: Fruit comes from the Grand Mouton vineyard, a nine-hectare (23-acre) site in the commune of Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine, situated between the Sèvre and Maine rivers at the heart of the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine appellation. Vines were planted in the 1950s and grow on gneiss, granite, and amphibolite soils; the site's exceptional sun exposure allows for one of the earliest harvests in France.
- VINIFICATION: Each parcel is hand-harvested and fermented separately using native yeast.
- AGING: The wine rests on its lees over the winter in concrete and glass vats, then is racked off the lees by gravity alone the following spring, without stirring or filtration beforehand.
- TASTING NOTES: Fresh citrus — lemon and grapefruit — with subtle floral lift and a green apple edge; the sur lie aging lends a light creaminess to the texture, framed by bright acidity and a saline, mineral-driven finish.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Oysters and other raw or lightly cooked shellfish, goat cheese, and light seafood-forward salads.