2021 Claude Branger "Terroir Les Gras Moutons" Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie

"Terroir Les Gras Moutons: is the top wine, made now from 18 acres of vines (before 2009, their parcel totaled 10 acres) growing in a celebrated vineyard named the Fat Sheep*, one that occupies the high and gently sloping ground. This is in the adjacent commune of Saint Fiacre, which is the smallest of the 23 communes in the Sèvre et Maine AC and one with some of the best grape growing land. The rocky granite soil here is thin, between 6-14 inches deep, in a seam of amphibolite, a greenish metamorphic rock. The vines were planted between 1930 and 1986, and average more than 50 years old. The meager soil and the old vines give naturally low yields, averaging 45 hl/ha. The wine rests on its lees in underground tanks for twelve to fourteen months, and it is quite concentrated by Muscadet standards. Ripe, round, and intensely mineral, this wine can age beautifully, developing aromas that are a cross between Riesling and Pinot Blanc. A productive year sees 3,625 cases made."