Jean-Baptiste Hardy 'Ponceau' 2022

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.

New for the domaine this year, Jean-Baptiste’s multi-site Melon de Bourgogne cuvée ‘Éclats’ is vibrant and smoky, while ‘L’Aubier’ is a full-flavoured and silky Chardonnay showing nuances of honey and ginger. ‘Ponceau’ – a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc – is deeply layered with dark, juicy fruit and earthy complexity.

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.

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc – brambles, plums, and earth.