Vineyards and winemaking
Origine comes from the estate's original Melon de Bourgogne vines, planted by the Choblet family's great-grandfather in 1944. The low-lying Bouaye vineyards contain red sand, gravel and rolled quartz pebbles, with the Lac de Grand-Lieu, Loire and Atlantic helping the fruit ripen evenly while preserving freshness.
The 2015 was cool-fermented and then kept on fine lees in underground concrete tanks for approximately nine years. Lees stirring during the first year built texture; the wine was then left to mature slowly, gaining extraordinary depth without losing the saline acidity at the heart of Muscadet.
Tasting notes
Appearance
Luminous pale gold with a bright, youthful glint despite its age.
Nose
Quince, green apple and citrus zest open into white flowers, almond and warm brioche. Pineapple, fennel and a sea-spray note emerge as the wine expands in the glass.
Palate
Layered and gastronomic, combining lemon and pear with a creamy, lees-built texture. Hazelnut and gentle dried-fruit notes are held taut by vivid acidity, leading to a long, chalky and distinctly saline finish.
Food pairing
Move beyond simple shellfish and serve with roast turbot and beurre blanc, scallops with celeriac, chicken with a light morel cream, or a mild goat's cheese. Its depth also makes it a compelling partner for smoked eel with apple.
Background story
Domaine du Haut Bourg is a four-generation family estate in Bouaye, south of Nantes, where Hervé and Nicolas Choblet now tend vines around the Lac de Grand-Lieu. The nearby lake, Loire and Atlantic temper the local climate, while mica schist, granite, sand and sedimentary soils give the wines their distinctive texture. Sommelier's Choice has worked with the Choblet family for nearly 20 years, supplying its wines to leading UK restaurants, particularly those renowned for fish and seafood.
Origine embodies the brothers' determination to redefine the ageing potential of Muscadet. In a celebrated Meilleur Sommelier de France blind-tasting final, it was mistaken for Premier Cru Chablis; the 2015 also received 95 points from Decanter and 18 points from Jancis Robinson. Those distinctions support what the long-standing partnership has shown in practice: this is a singular, cellar-aged white wine, not merely an amplified version of young Muscadet.
