The 2007 Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu Clos de la Fine – from old vines in schistic and amphibolitic soils reminiscent of Austria’s Wachau – offers scents and flavors of white peach, lime, and salt. Succulent yet bright and positively gripping, it delivers tactile tingle and zest that add up to invigoration and refreshment, along with almost ineffable but undeniable notes of minerality. This beauty will continue to offer thrills for the next 2-3 years, if not beyond.Jerome and Luc Choblet have not missed a beat in 2007, fielding another collection of infectiously delicious and superb value wines. The hard part is keeping track of their numerous properties and cuvees, of which I tasted only the following three.Importer: Stacole Fine Wines, Boca Raton, FL; tel. (561) 998-0029 and (in the case of Clos de la Fine) Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Jerome and Luc Choblet’s 2005 Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu Clos de la Fine – from a flinty, relatively clay-rich soil – smells of fresh lemon, yeast, and grain in a wheat-beer sort of way, but with hints of jasmin, almond, sea breeze and pungent herbs adding further interest. Lush and yet refreshing on the palate, it offers a distinctive combination of salt and chalk minerality with creamy almond, peach and milled grain richness. Imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300