2020 MUSCADET ‘Katharos – No Sulphur’, Chéreau Carré. Loire Valley

Muscadet is made at the coastal end of the Loire River and the style normally has a bracingly fresh, rather ‘Atlantic’ feel. This one is rather different – see below.

Chéreau Carré, now run by Bernard Chéreau, have a large estate of 135 hectares, one of the biggest in the region.
Their UK agent describes this wine:
“Katharos means ‘purity’ in ancient Greek and the aim of this cuvée is to reveal the authentic aromas of the Melon de Bourgogne variety without the addition of any sulphur during vinification, which allows the aromatics to shine through. The yeasts do create some natural sulphur during fermentation, which is why the label reads ‘contains sulphites’. The wine did not go through malolactic fermentation to retain the refreshing acidity. The gravity fed cellar enables the wine to be gently moved without the use of a pump and ageing took place in concrete tanks. Without the addition of sulphur, the wine is sensitive to oxidation, so bottling took place directly from the lees, using an inert bottling line to prevent oxidation.”

From a single vineyard that achieves unusual levels of ripeness, this is a fascinating illustration of what excitement Muscadet can produce, given the chance – waxy texture and great length of flavour.