Clos de Lozangere JP Hardy Muscadet

With just two vintages behind him, Jean-Baptiste Hardy – a former winemaking student of Meursault master Jean-Marc Roulot – is already making some of our favourite Muscadets.
 
Since taking over his family’s estate in Mouzillon – one of nine recently defined Cru Communaux in Muscadet Sèvre et Maine – Jean-Baptiste has introduced a quality-focused, organic approach to his 4ha of Melon de Bourgogne vineyards planted in the 1950s and 60s. Harvested by hand and pressed gently, his wines are vinified on the lees in traditional glass-lined underground tanks before bottling without fining or filtration.
 
Hardy’s ambitious single-plot Muscadets marry remarkable textural richness with detailed, stony minerality, and express the region’s unique ‘gabbro’ (black granite) soils from two different perspectives: ‘Fief de Chaintre’ – from a north-facing site – is taut and saline with bright apple, citrus, and earthy notes, and ‘Clos de Lozangère’ combines ripe fruit from its southerly exposure with notes of oyster shells and pastry, alongside a lacy texture.
 
Following in the footsteps of the likes of Luneau-Papin and Jo Landron, Jean-Baptiste is further underlining Muscadet’s place among the great white wines of France.
 
Poached orchard fruit, seashells, and baked pastries. Tangy and fresh.