Biodynamic. Les Houx, in La Haye-Fouassière, is one of Landron’s oldest vineyards. The mature, low-yielding vines are rooted in shallow sandy/clay soils, rich in quartz and shot through with iron, which gives the wine a flinty nature. The bedrock is gneiss and clay. It’s a brilliant terroir that gives a denser, fleshier, more complex style of Muscadet. Although more opulent and layered than Landron’s other wines, this parcel's rocky, acid soils impart a balancing freshness, even in warmer years.
The grapes are harvested by hand and ferment with indigenous yeasts. The wine ages on its lees for a lengthy 18 months before bottling. Landron is now using the Italian-made Tava amphorae for 30% of the wine and is delighted with the results. The lion’s share still ages in glass-lined concrete. It’s a dynamic Muscadet that goes far beyond the drink-with-oysters cliché. Pair it with substantial fish or white meat dishes that call for something savoury and mineral.