Review: 2021 Grochau Cellars Melon de Bourgogne

Melon de Bourgogne is a grape varietal rarely grown in the U.S. It is much more common in the Loire Valley where it is used to make Muscadet wine. But Grochau Cellars grows it successfully in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. They use sur lie aging (aging the wine on the lees) for 8 months to impart body to the wine. Then, 70% of the wine is fermented in concrete eggs and 30% in acacia wood barrels.

These efforts result in a lovely and unusual wine. On the nose and palate, lemon and lime citrus intermingle nicely with pear, a touch of creamy oak, and a light briny note. Some flinty minerality joins in midpalate, giving the wine further complexity. Quite dry, it has medium-to-high acidity and a fairly long finish. Altogether, this wine resembles Muscadet from the Loire, but the fruity notes are a bit bolder, without sacrificing the minerality, acidity, and salinity one finds in French versions. I’m a fan and would love to try this wine with oysters or any other briny seafood, but considering the wine’s minerality and acidity, it would go well with a great range of foods.

A- / $23 / grochaucellars.com

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