March Wine Vaults

For some inexplicable reason, the Loire remains a woefully underrated area. The longest river in France, its banks are home to a remarkable variety of grapes and wine styles — red and white, sweet and dry, sparkling and still.

Lightness and freshness is the region’s signature and the following selection from the inimitable Yapp Bros, 2014 IWC Loire Specialist of the Year, is perfect springtime fare. Jason Yapp has lopped a quid off every bottle and I hope you find as much to enjoy here as I did.

There’s nothing duller than a dull Muscadet, oh, except maybe a dull Soave, but the 2013 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, Domaine de la Mortaine (1) is anything but, being full of vim and vigour.

We offered the previous vintage last summer and I make absolutely no apology for offering this one now, such a success was it. In fact, as I said last time, it’s about as perfect a Muscadet as you will find. It’s crisp, clean and lemony and thanks to a winter on its lees, has plenty of lift and zip and what Jason refers to as ozone freshness. The Quentin Blake label is rather uplifting too. £8.95 down from £9.95.

I remember that the 2013 Menetou-Salon, Domaine Jean Teiller (2) was napped as a favourite by my august predecessor Simon Hoggart. He loved the stuff. I think he was rather taken by the winemaker Patricia Teiller, too.

She and her husband trained in Burgundy but also did a vintage in New Zealand, and it shows. Old World meets New here with buckets of ripe, zesty, whistle-clean fruit and a touch of exotic tropical mango and papaya. £13.50 down from £14.50.

The Vouvray Mousseaux Brut Réserve, Domaine Aubert (3) is charm itself, a cheery yet sophisticated méthode traditionelle sparkler from a longstanding family estate, where workers still ‘riddle’ the bottles by hand.