The Melon Grape

(Synonyms: Gamay Blanc, Latran, Melon de Bourgogne, Muscadet, Petit Bourgogne, Plant de Bourgogne)

Background

Melonl is a white-wine grape originating, as its name suggests, in the Burgundy region of France. The grape name is not well known, but the wine made from it, Muscadet (always 100% Melon), is famous. Some Melon is grown in the U.S., chiefly in Oregon but now also in Washington State; such wines must be labelled by the grape name: “Muscadet” cannot be used of wines not made in that appellation. (The few American-made wines from this grape are often labelled “Melon de Bourgogne”.)

The Muscadet appellation is located at the western end of the Loire Valley wine area, and is centered on the town of Nantes, near the Atlantic coast. Within the appellation are three sub-appellations: Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine (whence about four in five Muscadets); Muscadet-Coteaux de la Loire; and the relatively recent (1994) Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu. Wines labelled simply “Muscadet” without one of those three sub-appellation tags are normally the most elementary specimens (and are forbidden by law from sur lie treatment—that is, from the lees contact that defines better bottlings). Differences between Muscadet wines from those regions exist, but are typically not dramatic.

Melon is considered a relatively bland and simple grape, and Muscadet was slowly sinking toward obvivion till the later twentieth century, when new techniques, such as extended lees contact (now a hallmark of better Muscadets, with the contact time a minimum specified by law), maceration, and even some oak aging came into play. There is today quite a spectrum of styles and quality (and price) for Muscadet wines.

Muscadets made sur lie, which is virtually all of the better ones, are normally marked by a subtle richness and greater fullness of body. Nowadays, some vintners accent that quality by stirring the wine as it rests on the lees, resulting in even greater contact. Muscadet is also the only wine that, by French law, cannot exceed 12% alcohol (the only such maximum specified in those laws).

Muscadet is ideally a very dry, sharp, acidic wine, thus quite “crisp”, and tasting strongly of minerality much more than of fruit (some even claim to detect a subtle “salty” quality, which is considered desireable); it is typically a light-bodied wine. It is often remarked that its best and highest use is as accompaniment to seafood, notably oysters, owing to that acid crispness, but it will in fact go well with any rich dish, especially creamy ones. It is a wine normally drunk while quite young, three years from bottling being about the limit for most. A few better specimens, however, can be aged up to a decade or so, presumably with some improvement but certainly with no loss.

One of the first things one notices about Muscadets is that most of the well-known makers produce quite a number of variant bottlings, often half a dozen each vintner, and often not drastically different in price within the same line; it is thus not a matter of saying get so-and-so’s X-dollars bottling. The reason for those various bottlings is to capture single-vineyard terroir, so it isn’t a matter of X being “better than” Y.

Factoid: Melon was introduced to the Pays Nantais region in the 17th century by Dutch traders looking for a sufficient source of neutral white wines that could be distilled into “brandewijn” (brandy).

Some Descriptions of Melon Wines

Wikipedia
“Muscadet wines are often light bodied and almost always dry with very little, if any residual sugar. Left over carbon dioxide from the bottling process can leave the wines with a slight ‘prickly’ sensation. Master of Wine Mary Ewing-Mulligan describes Muscadets as fresh and crisp, at their peak drinking ability from release up to three of years of age. Muscadet that have been aged sur lie can have very subtle ’yeasty‘ aromas. The acidity keeps the wines light and refreshing. Some examples can have a slight ‘saltiness’ about them.”
Eric Asimov, The New York Times
“The truth about Muscadet is that its virtues extend well beyond oysters. Many seafood dishes would go well with Muscadet, as well as light poultry preparations and pasta dishes, too, if you are willing to break the ethnic boundaries that channel so many wine choices. Apart from food pairings, Muscadet is just plain delicious, providing you are open to what it does best. Muscadet, like Chablis and Sancerre, is not a gobs-of-fruit sort of wine. Yes, one can often sense citrus qualities in Muscadet. But more often, it is a stony, mineral sensation — felt as much as tasted — along with herbal, saline and floral aromas that characterize Muscadet. Texture, I think, is a vastly underrated quality in a wine, and texture is an essential quality of good Muscadet. It’s what impels you to take sip after sip, simply because it feels so good.”
Wine Searcher
“The variety has naturally high acidity, but can struggle to achieve good concentration of flavors. The best wines show apple and citrus flavors, with mineral characteristics. A saltiness can sometimes identified, suggestive of the region’s maritime history…In the winery, the fashion is to subject the best Melon de Bourgogne grapes to extended lees contact and barrel maturation. This results in wines of greater depth, texture and complexity, however it is a more expensive process than the fresh-and-ready style, and this is reflected in the wine’s price.”
CorkQuiz.com
“Widely known as the wine to have with seafood, Melon de Bourgogne has a range of styles that incorporate fruit, minerality and quiet earth aromas. The grape struggles to have concentrated flavors by its genetic makeup; however the cool climates of the western Loire allow what could otherwise be a somewhat minimalist wine to develop rich fruit flavor and ample acidity. To maximize the aroma profile many Muscadet wines are aged sur lie or on the lees (yeast remaining following fermentation) for an extended period following fermentation. This sur lie aging can increase the body of the wine resulting in a much fuller mouth feel. Fruit aromas can include tree fruit (apple, pear, peach) and occasionally elements of tropical fruits (lemons and limes). Alcohol is usually less than 12%, allowing the wine to stay in balance. Muscadet is produced to be drunk young, while the flavor profiles remain strong.”
Appellation America
“Today, this grape is a minor variety in the Golden State, with small plantings in the cooler areas of the North and Central Coast regions. In such cool, coastal conditions, Melon can make balanced table wines with good flavor. Not surprising, since this old Burgundian variety,once widely grown in that area,is most associated with an even cooler coastal region. In France, Melon is mainly used to make white wines known as Muscadet from the Loire Valley’s extreme western edge, known as the Nantes, which borders the Atlantic ocean. Here it makes light acidic white wines, with tart acidity, citric fruit character that often possess a salty character. The best of these come from the Muscadet de Sevre et Maine AOC, where many of the wines are aged sur lie to take on extra weight and complexity. Muscadet wines, and generally white wines made from the Melon grape are excellent food wines, pairing especially well with crustaceans and other salty seafood.”
Loire Valley Wine
“Although it was originally a rather neutral wine, Muscadet producers have refined their techniques in order to make wines with their own distinctive attributes. In particular, the wine can be designated as Muscadet Sur Lie, indicating that it has been left on the lees for the winter between fermentation in autumn and bottling in spring. This allows the wine to develop a fuller flavor and a slight carbonation that gives the wine additional freshness. For the most part, these wines are best drunk young, but in exceptional vintages certain Muscadet Sur Lie can be kept for several years and, in rare cases, decades.”
Barbara Hay, examiner.com
“The best examples of Melon are those from the appellation of Muscadet Sèvre et Maine and are labeled mise en bouteille sur lie, which means that they’re bottled directly off the lees without filtering. This process can produce flavorful wines that are soft and creamy with hints of citrus. The wine is typically steely, bone dry, light to lean in structure and body, with high acidity and an almost briny tang. “Sur lie” wines, which are unfined and unfiltered until bottling, have more body, flavor and substance.”
MelonDeBourgogne.com
“In a typical white wine fermentation, the grapes are pressed, the juice is moved into barrels or tanks, and the wine is racked off the lees, fairly early on. (‘Racking’ is the name for the process of siphoning or pumping the clear wine out of the tank, leaving behind the residual glop from the yeasts; the glop is known as the ‘lees’.) Most white wines are racked immediately after completion of fermentation, and once or twice more after about 2 months. The lees at first racking are called the ‘gross lees’, and at second racking are called ‘fine lees’. The finest Muscadet wines are made in a method known as Sur Lies (translates to ‘with lees’). This method is where there is one or no early rackings done; the wine is fermented and aged in barrels on the lees. My understanding is that in the Appellation Controlee system in France, by law, a Muscadet wine may be racked off the gross lees, but must remain on the fine lees until March 1st. The wine may be bottled after that date, and may be filtered at bottling. When making a wine with the intent of fresh and fruity flavors, not intended for long-term aging, for example a Pinot Gris or Riesling, oak barrels are not likely to be used at all. When the wood characteristics are desired, for example a Chardonnay, aging is done in new small oak barrels, typically 60 gallon size. A new oak barrel imparts oak flavors only for the first few months of use, and afterwards is refered to as ‘neutral oak’. Such a used barrel still helps the wine to age through evaporation, thus is not truly neutral, and may add desirable characteristics. Although the classic 60 gallon oak wine barrel is still in common use for Muscadet, they are almost always used barrels as the oak characteristic is not considered desirable. There are also wonderful Muscadet wines made in the ‘new world’ style of truly neutral storage (typically glass lined concrete or stainless steel) tanks. These wines are more likely to show fresh fruity and aromatic characteristics, whereas oak aged will usually be softer and somewhat more complex.”
bottlenotes
“The Melon grape produces a high yield because it is quite resistant to frost, and the dry white wine it creates is fresh, uncomplicated and only lightly alcoholic (12%). A good Muscadet at once has fruity, floral and mineral tones. It pairs well with seafood and the mollusks from the Atlantic region of the Loire Valley and is perfect to drink as an aperitif on a summer evening.”
The Passionate Foodie
“Melon de Bourgogne is a relatively neutral grape, similar in that respect to Palomino. Yet winemakers discovered ways to transform the Melon into compelling wines. One of the most important techniques is sur lie aging, where the wine stays in contact with the lees after fermentation. Other techniques include oak barrel fermentation, bâtonnage (stirring the lees),and extended maceration. Muscadet is commonly light, dry, and may have a slight effervescence to them, which in the region is referred to as ‘pearls of youth.’ The flavors can include green apple, a certain yeastiness or even a touch of saltiness (like a manzanilla sherry). The classic pairing for Muscadet is oysters, though other seafoods work well too.”

Some Melons to Try

There are hosts of decent-or-better Muscadets out there, but a lot of them seem to be carried by only a few retailers. Culling for reasonable availability (and quality and price, of course), we came up with tis list, but we could easily have switched in any of several other close competitors.

Better-quality Muscadets tend to have very long names because they all attach the name of their appellation—for most good ones, that’s “Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine”, though the “Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu” appellation is now getting some love.

Then there’s that sur lie tag (signifying that the wine was aged on the lees, adding quality). Almost half of the wines made in the Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine appellation are aged sur lie—and that fraction includes virtually all the better bottlings.

Put them all together, along with the maker’s pet name for the bottling, and you get a full name that calls for a “Gesundheit” after saying it. Nonetheless, for full accuracy, we reproduce in the list those full names. Enjoy.

(Oh, yes: the actual bottle labels are even worse, because besides stating, for example, “Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine”, they have to also let you know “Appellation Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Controlée”, lest you think that any old body can put the appellation on a wine label. Wine laws: as Beetlejuice would say, “Y'know I love ’em!”

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This page was last modified on Saturday, 30 October 2021, at 11:26 pm Pacific Time.

That Useful Wine Site

The Melon Grape

About Melon

Background

Some Descriptions of Melon Wines

Some Melons to Try

For a Splurge

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