La Tour Gallus - Muscadet Sèvre-Maine Sur Lie 2023

Damien Rineau is so low-key that he flew under the radar of our tastings for years. Coming from a lineage of nine generations of winemakers—as evidenced by his endless family tree, drawn at the base of a vine and hung on the wall of his cellar—this native of the Nantes region has been crafting Muscadets of great classicism since the 1980s. His vineyard is located in Gorges, a unique area where the extremely rare, compact, dark-blue rock—gabbro—nurtures the Melon Blanc grape. The wines produced here aren’t the most approachable when first opened; you have to let them breathe. They begin with a subtle attack and gradually develop into a magnificent, bitter structure. Damien cultivates this style, particularly in his Gorges, which has remarkable aging potential (over twenty years). In traditional underground vats, his 2016 was aged on lees for… 72 months! The estate has been sold to Thierry Denjean, owner of Domaine de Haute Perche in Anjou and Vin de l’A in the Swiss Valais, but Damien Rineau will remain in his position for a few more years.