Gula-Ana AOP 2020

A Muscadet that draws its clarity from the rock: bright in fruit, saline on the finish, with a depth that goes far beyond its scent of yellow apples.

The grapes grow at the La Butte de la Roche vineyard in the village of Le Loroux-Bottereau, whose plots belong to the Cru Communal Goulaine. The subsoil, made of coarsely crystalline peridotite and serpentinite, a metamorphic rock derived from it, is of magmatic origin; this red-ochre soil is considered unique in this form within the Pays Nantais. From the hill, the view stretches over the marshland of the Goulaine, the river that runs through the vineyards before flowing into the Loire.

Melon de Bourgogne from vines planted in 1974, hand-harvested and pressed in a pneumatic press, with the intensity and duration of pressing adapted to the vintage. Fermentation began spontaneously with native yeasts. The wine then aged for 20 months on the lees, in underground glass-lined concrete tanks and in 600-litre barrels.

The fruit shows just as on the nose: bright, ripe and crisp, with mirabelle plum and kumquat. Juiciness comes to the fore, combined with elegant acidity, deep minerality and pronounced salinity. With aeration, ginger, a hint of tobacco and caramel join in, lending the wine a creamier texture.

Pike quenelles with dill foam, lobster bisque, or a Bresse chicken casserole with blue lobster.

The name comes from Gaulish: Gula meaning throat or mouth, Ana meaning marsh. Pierre-Marie Luneau runs the estate in its ninth generation together with Marie Luneau; the roughly 30 hectares have been farmed biodynamically since 2014, with Demeter and Biodyvin certification following in 2019. 12.0% vol., dry.