INSIDER'S PICK: 2022 JOSSELIN BOUET MUSCADET SEVRE ET MAINE 'SELON MOI' $17.99

For much of its existence Muscadet was considered a very basic wine region with little potential for making 'great' wines, only straightforward white wines that go great with local seafood but offer little to the outside world. In the late 1980s/early 1990s, a 'New School' developed looking to make more substantial wines from some of the older and more unique vineyard sites, helping them to stand out by aging them on their lees for an extra long period of time to give them more body. The best producers of the time - Pepiere, Michel Bregeon, Luneau-Papin- earned quite a fan following as their wines were routinely described as 'baby Chablis' for their seashell-like saltiness. That 'New School', has now not as new as they once were, but it's great to see more of the new generation they helped to inspire coming into play. New to the area and with a youthful family member at the helm, Bouet checks all the right boxes for making excellent Muscadet. Crisp apple and leesy pear aromas pop from the glass with a hint of wet seashell are the hallmarks of Muscadet, and they're all here. Plenty of natural weight give the apple and pear fruit an extra juiciness on the palate, with a mouthwatering salinity that just begs for something from the sea to pair with it. The brinier the better!

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