Famille Lieubeau Chardonnay 2023

Grape: Chardonnay

Region: Loire Valley, France 

Farming: Organic

Famille Lieubeau farms over 40 hectares of vines and produces Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, and Vin de Pays from grapes such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Regardless of the varietal, the vines are planted on rock, and in most cases, sheer cliffs of rock through which the roots have to bury for meters for any hydric source. The vines, and the wines, are fed by water that is awash in wet rock. It’s not a big shock that the wines smell and taste more like rock and minerals than fruit or flowers. Combine this with the cold Atlantic breezes, and you’ve got an amazing cool climate, high cut, precise bottle of white wine. It can be argued that Muscadet, in France’s Loire Valley, contains the most diverse array of geological soil types and terroirs than any other appellation in France. Perhaps the most famous of these soils is the kitchen-counter-gorgeous granite of Clisson. Because Melon de Bourgogne generally takes a back seat to any minerality that wants to seep into the vines and into the grapes, it is seen as the ideal vehicle for mineral-expressive wines in France. So what happens if we take this same incredibly rich soil type and introduce Chardonnay, a grape that has a stronger personality than Melon? The answer to that question is the Famille Lieubeau Chardonnay. This is hand-harvested, low yield Chardonnay that grows on the famous granite of Clisson.