Domaine Batard Langelier "Les Prières" Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine

Most people think Muscadet is simple. They’re wrong. This is Melon de Bourgogne with a doctorate in geology and a heart full of saltwater. For three generations, the Batard family has been farming organically on the gnarled, metamorphic slopes where the Sèvre and Maine rivers collide, just a breath from the Atlantic coast. Jérémie Batard, the current keeper of the vines, learned from his father Pascal—a man who ditched chemicals in 1995 because he believed wine should taste of place, not process.

They let the land do the talking. And what it says is intense, mineral, and alive. The nose is a cold ocean wave hitting hot rocks—salty, stony, laced with lemon zest and white flowers. The palate is a masterclass in balance: searing acidity cut by a texture so soothing it feels balmy—like a warm, effortless hug. It’s all green apple, wet slate, and a creaminess that holds everything together without weighing it down.

Pair with oysters so fresh they taste like the sea, grilled mackerel with lemon, or anything that doesn’t need fussing with.

Drink this when you want to taste the Atlantic breeze and the granite it blew in on.