Muscadet is a wine style that fell out of favour with international buyers for many years, but the recent return to appreciation of lighter styles of wine with great acidity and food-friendly character, has prompted renewed enthusiasm for this classic region. The Perraud family has been making Muscadet for six generations, with brothers Vincent and Stéphane taking over the estate in 1990. Their 28 hectares are in and around the village of Clisson, one of the area’s designated ‘crus’ and considered by many to be the finest terroir for growing Melon de Bourgogne. Farming is certified organic and the brothers are good friends with local producers like Domaine de l’Ecu and Domaine de la Pépière, both renowned members of the natural wine scene. While Cognettes is at the more conventional end of the natural scale, they use very little SO2 and intervene as little as they can. They also pick by hand - a rare thing in a region where most producers are desperate to cut costs so they can hit price points demanded by supermarket buyers (even if that means a serious compromise on quality).
Once natural fermentation is completed, the wine rests in stainless steel tanks on its lees (sur lie) until the following spring, when it is bott led. The result is a wine full of fresh, citrusy zing and steely, saline minerality that conjures up images of the nearby Atlantic Ocean.
