Famille Lieubeau : Bel Abord 2024

Characteristics and tasting notes of the Bel Abord 2024 Famille Lieubeau

Tasting

Colour
The glass reveals a pale, clear and luminous hue, enhanced by delicate golden highlights.

Nose
The bouquet opens with springlike aromas of white flowers and subtle herbaceous touches. It then reveals a lovely intensity of citrus, blending lemon zest and grapefruit with crisp apple. The whole is underscored by an iodized minerality reminiscent of sea spray, along with light notes of fresh bread crust.

Palate
Balanced and harmonious, the palate offers a round texture and a lovely volume. The natural acidity brings a refreshing tension, carrying flavours of lime, green apple and grapefruit. The evolution reveals discreet notes of white honey and bread crust, before stretching into a persistent finish, marked by a remarkable salinity.

Food and wine pairing

Ideal as an aperitif, this white wine pairs wonderfully with a seafood platter, notably oysters, langoustines or white fish carpaccio. It also pairs beautifully with steamed lean fish, ceviche, or delicate starters such as white asparagus.

Service and storage

This Bel Abord 2024 is best enjoyed in its youth to appreciate its vivacity, and can be drunk until around 2028.

The elegance and minerality of a terroir-driven Muscadet Sèvre et Maine

The estate

The story of the Famille Lieubeau began in 1816 with Joseph Grégoire, an orphan taken in near Nantes. Today, the estate is run by Pierre and Chantal Lieubeau, alongside their children François, Vincent and Marie. Located in the Loire region, the estate covers 65 hectares and acquired the Château-Thébaud estate in 2005. Certified organic, the house values biodiversity and the preservation of old vines. Recently awarded a fourth star by the Bettane et Desseauve guide, Famille Lieubeau has established itself as a key reference in the qualitative renewal of its appellation.

The vineyard

The cuvée comes from a single plot located in the commune of Château-Thébaud, at the heart of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation. East-facing, the roughly forty-year-old vines overlook the Maine river. They thrive on a terroir of gneiss, a metamorphic rock that provides a sandy soil, rich in minerals and perfectly drained. The vineyard is carefully tended: the soils are ploughed, sometimes with horses, and the harvest is carried out exclusively by hand with rigorous sorting at the plot level.

Winemaking and aging

The winemaking of Bel Abord 2024 begins with gentle pneumatic pressing, followed by cold settling. Fermentation takes place at controlled temperature, using exclusively indigenous yeasts. The wine then benefits from an extended aging period of nine to twelve months on lees in underground vats. During this time, regular lees stirring is carried out to keep the lees in suspension, enriching the texture and aromatic complexity of the cuvée.

Grape variety

100% Melon de Bourgogne