The Three Muscadets

I recently stopped in at a wine tasting that featured a lineup of Muscadets from Domaines Pierre Luneau-Papin going back to 1976. Extraordinary. Muscadet is one of those white wines that isn't supposed to evolve and that you're not supposed to drink after two or three years. (Actually, you should drink almost every wine young unless somebody you trust tells you otherwise.)

Muscadet comes from the Loire region of France, which is famous for wines made from the Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc grapes. This one is made from the Melon de Bourgogne, sometimes called simply Melon. It's not famous. It's not underrated. It's okay. On most bottlings of Muscadet you will see the words sur lie, which I believe is French for "this grape doesn't have much going for it so we have a trick to extract more flavor." The juice lays around on dead yeast cells for awhile, which sounds gruesome but adds complexity.

Traditionally, Muscadet is crisp (that means it tastes acidic), minerally (that's quite desirable), and floral (producers pray for that to happen). It's one of those $12 wines that is always considered perfect with shellfish because it has no sweetness and no oak. I like it, but then I like wines with noticeable acidity. I'd never thought of drinking it after it aged.

I was told at the tasting that older Muscadets can develop a flavor profile similar to the great white Burgundy, Meursault. My initial reaction: Wishful thinking. The simplicity of the Melon de Bourgogne grape would suggest otherwise, but acidity should never be discounted. It promotes aging, and almost anything can happen to a wine that hangs around for a long time.

I didn't try them all, but I had the 1976, the 1982, and the 1995, all considered good years. All retained their fabulous acidity, but only the '82 had a hint of what I suspected to be that Meursault characteristic: a touch of pleasing earthiness. I have to admit, it made me smile. All three of the wines were alive, however, still fresh, and a lot more fun to taste than the standard lineup of Chardonnays that I see at most white wine tastings.

In case you don't find any of those old-timers at your local wine shop, and you probably won't, try the 2005 Luneau-Papin Muscadet-sur-Lie Pierre de la Grange, a cuvée produced for the American market. It's unexpectedly rich, yet retains that startling acidity. If you have yet to understand the wonders that acidity works when wine is drunk with food, here's a perfect way to begin.