Wine of the Week: 2005 Comte Leloup du Chateau de Chasseloir ‘Cuvée des Ceps Centenaires’

2005 Comte Leloup du Chateau de Chasseloir ‘Cuvée des Ceps Centenaires’

Muscadet is the classic Loire Valley white to drink with oysters at one of the gorgeous tiled turn-of-the-century brasseries in Nantes. Made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, Muscadet is the very definition of crisp. But this one from Comte Leloup’s Chateau de Chasseloir is really outside of its class. Aged sur lie (on the lees), as the best are, the 2005 “Cuvée des Ceps Centenaires� is made from 100-year-old vines from a single vineyard and simply leaps out of the glass. Pale green-gold, this Muscadet is round and soft, with underlying power and depth. Enjoy it with anything from the raw bar, steamed shellfish or a nice piece of fish.

--S. Irene Virbila

Region: Loire Valley, France

Price: About $20

Style: Rich and layered

What it goes with: Raw or steamed shellfish, or other seafood

Where to find it: K&L Wine Merchants in Hollywood, (323) 464-9463, https://www.klwines.com; L.A. Wine Company in Marina del Rey, (310) 306-9463, https://www.lawineco.com; and Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454 and (800) 76WINEX, https://www.winex.com.