Branger, Claude - (Archived)

Claude Branger works the vineyard with his son Sébastien and his wife Thérèse manages the office. They farm 57 acres divided among seven parcels in the heart of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation. The small river of La Sèvre is just to the north, cutting deep into land; further south and east is the sister river of La Petite Maine. The fact is there are wines of revelation made here—wines that are soft yet shockingly vigorous, full of flavors of bread, lemon freshness, and sea salt minerality. Claude Branger ranks among the top five (top two, if you credit the leading French critic, Michel Bettane, who ranks Branger and just one other grower as Muscadet’s best in his annual classification). He is a member of Terra Vitis, an organization that sets guidelines for sustainable farming and monitors its members’ practices to ensure quality control. Unlike most growers, he prunes for low yields, harvests by hand, ferments with native yeast, and lets his wine rest on its lees until bottling, which is done without fining and with a light filtration—the classic sur lie technique.