Domaine Luneau-Papin - Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Cru Goulaine Excelsior 2020

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Pierre-Marie and Marie Luneau are one of the most dynamic couples in the French wine industry. Their expertise in managing their 42-hectare vineyard and their knowledge are unmatched in the region. Vineyard work is carried out according to the principles of organic and biodynamic farming, and their wines are exceptional dining wines whose aging profile sets the standard for the genre. In our tastings, this estate consistently ranks at the very top.

Decanter

About the wine:

Exceptionally layered. Delicate aromas of honeysuckle with hints of white pepper and crushed stone. The palate is powerful and silky, with a magnificent, fluid texture and abundant acidity. The finish is endless, revealing smoky and flinty notes. It feels as though it’s brimming with potential, pulsing with energy. Vines from the Massal selection planted in 1936.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The 2020 Excelsior was crafted from vines planted in 1936 using mass selection on schist and mica-schist soils. With aromas of herbs, smoke, lemon oil, and pear, it is full-bodied and taut, with excellent concentration, a structuring schist-driven extract, and a long, briny finish. This well-crafted, straightforward, and balanced wine will be enjoyable upon release and throughout the next decade.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

Excelsior 2020, whose minerality develops over time and brilliantly accentuates the rich, flavorful body that defines it. It will age gracefully over the coming decades.

About the estate:

Pierre and Monique Luneau-Papin left their mark on their generation by crafting great Muscadet wines. We owe them the magnificent Excelsior cuvée, a benchmark among age-worthy white wines from Nantes and a pioneer for the Goulaine communal cru. Their son, Pierre-Marie, and his wife, Marie, are continuing this legacy and taking their quest to uncover the terroirs’ identity even further. This is faithfully reflected in all their wines, from Vera Cruz (quartz, mica schist, and two-mica schist) to Gula-Ana (peridotite and serpentinite from the fabulous Butte de la Roche, one of the most enchanting sites in Muscadet). The wines are aged primarily in underground concrete tanks lined with glass tiles, with amphorae occasionally used for certain vintages. These 40 hectares of vineyards have been cultivated using biodynamic farming methods since 2019. A thriving estate, producing contemporary Muscadets that are distinctive, precise, and invigorating.