Wine Variety: Melon Blanc is yet another offspring of the ubiquitous Gouais Blanc and Pinot. Hailing from Burgundy, Melon is a sibling of Chardonnay, Aligoté, Auxerrois and Gamay. It was banned in its homeland, along with Gamay, by Philippe II, Comte de Bourgogne, in 1567. Sometime in the Middle Ages, Melon was transported to the Loire Valley where, in the 16th century, it was popular with the Dutch, as they used it for distilling into brandy, first having flavoured it with spices (among which nutmeg: one theory as to how Muscadet was so named). Melon is the fourth most widely planted white grape in France.

Wine Region: There are 13,000 hectares of Muscadet vineyards situated near the mouth of the River Loire and those vineyards can be split into three regions: Muscadet - Sèvre et Maine (the biggest wine-producing appellation in the Loire);  Muscadet - Coteaux de la Loire, and Muscadet - Côtes de Grandlieu. Soils range from schist and granite to clay. The climate here is very much affected by the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean.

Wine Producer: Domaine de la Combe, in the village of Saint-Fiâcre, is nestled in the cradle of the Muscadet appellation between the two rivers of Sèvre and Maine and is the home estate of M Gadais. The slopes of these river valleys give the vines unique exposure. After centuries of erosion they grow on a terroir of schist, gneiss and mineral rich orthogneiss, a soil composition that means Saint-Fiâcre is considered one of the best sites for Muscadet Sèvre et Maine.

 Featured as Wine of the Week on JoannaSimon.com, 15/01/2021