When speaking of sur lie wines from the Loire Valley, one must begin with Muscadet. Produced near the Atlantic coast around Nantes, Muscadet—made exclusively from the Melon de Bourgogne grape—thrives under this method. “Sur lie” literally means “on the lees”, referring to the yeasty sediment left after fermentation. By aging the wine on these lees, typically in stainless steel tanks, winemakers achieve an elegantly nuanced texture with hints of brioche and sea spray.
The most renowned expression of this technique comes from the appellation Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine. Here, regulations allow wines to be labeled “sur lie” if they are bottled between March 1st and November 30th following the harvest, ensuring contact with the lees over winter. This process dates back to at least the 20th century, becoming codified in local winemaking laws by the mid-1900s.
In the broader Loire white wine landscape, Muscadet’s sur lie style is unique, though similar approaches can occasionally be found in other white wines of the region. But none have embraced it with quite the same devotion. As 18th-century gastronome Brillat-Savarin might have quipped, “A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine”—and a Muscadet sur lie adds that perfect glimmer of salty brightness to the table.
