2001 Domaine de la Quilla Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie, France

I grabbed a bottle of this Muscadet when I went to a friend’s beach house for Sunday lunch. At just $10, it seemed perfect for steaming some Santa Barbara mussels. I tasted it -- and fell in love. Crisp and minerally, with a distinct saline tang and a perfume of lime and citrus, the 2001 Domaine de la Quilla is an uncannily good Muscadet. Its full-throttle flavor is the result of aging on the lees and bottling the spring after the harvest.

A splash went into the mussels. We drank the rest. Who knew Muscadet could be this delicious?

At this price, buy a case now and you’ll be high-fiving yourself when the weather gets warmer.

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Quick swirl

Region: Loire Valley

Price: About $10

Style: Crisp and minerally

Food it goes with: Oysters and clams on the half shell, steamed mussels, lobster and crab.

Where you find it: Baron’s Marketplace in Del Mar, (858) 481-2323; Beverage Warehouse in Marina del Rey, (310) 306-2822; Larchmont Village Wine & Cheese in Los Angeles, (323) 856-8699; Lazy Acres Market in Santa Barbara, (805) 564-4410; Mission Wines in South Pasadena, (626) 403-9463; Wally’s in West Los Angeles, (310) 475-0606; and Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454 or (800) 76WINEX; and the Wine House in Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731.