Domaine du Grand Mouton, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine (Loire Valley, France) 2016

 Wines from the Muscadet area, the far west of the Loire Valley, especially those from the sub-region Sèvre et Maine, are fabulous with simple seafood, such as oysters or steamed clams.  Louis Métaireau’s Grand Mouton is a “go-to” Muscadet Sèvre et Maine for just such fare.  The Sur Lie designation means that the wine was aged on the ‘lees’ (dead yeast), which imparts freshness and the extract zing for which this category is known.  The 2016 Grand Mouton delivers plenty of the mouth-cleansing zesty character with a welcome density.