Jo Landron Brut Atmosphères, Loire Valley

This Loire sparkler has been enjoying plenty of love among those who know it, and no wonder. It’s a hand-harvested, estate-grown, biodynamic, naturally fermented, low-dosage fizz that shows up many conventional Champagnes for both quality and value. Topping off an impressive package is the marvellous label designed by iconic French illustrator Michel Tolmer (of Mimi, Fifi and Glouglou fame).

Jo Landron is not a fan of using Muscadet’s Melon de Bourgogne for sparkling wine, preferring instead a blend of around 50 to 60% Folle Blanche (grown on sandy clay) with a balance of Pinot Noir (grown on gravelly soils). Vine age ranges from 18 to 30 years. The yields are typically between 50 and 60 hl/ha—far lower than the average yields in Champagne. The base wines ferment naturally and then go through a traditional second fermentation in bottle, where they remain for a minimum of 24 months. The dosage ranges from zero to a low 5 g/L (depending on the bottling). Moreover, the fruit for this cuvée is always from a single vintage (2020 in this case).

This list of attributes sounds like the approach of a top Champagne grower, not a humble Muscadet producer! It's no surprise, then, that the result is a wine of impressive depth and complexity. Expect a super-mineral, earthy, rocky wine with waves of racy citrus, fresh nectarine and lots of flinty, talc-like, salty complexity, then a delicious lick of smoky Pinot cherry to close. This is simply one of the classiest sparkling bargains going around.