Domaine des Lampyres "Luminescence" 2022

Direct Press Selection | April 2025

[PRESS 4 WHITE]

The family of François-Xavier Dauré had long worked vineyards in the village of Espira de L’Agly, selling the fruit to their local cooperative. But it was François-Xavier, a one-time mentee of Tom Lubbe at Matassa, who converted to organic agriculture and began bottling the estate’s production himself. Nearly a decade after his first vintage, he’s creating vividly memorable blends that evoke the region’s hot, stony climate. 

His “Luminescence” is no exception, despite the fact that it’s made almost entirely from not one but TWO different varieties of Muscat: Muscat à Petits Grains and Muscat d’Alexandrie. Make no mistake, though — this is not your mother’s Barefoot Moscato. In Dauré’s hands, the wonderfully aromatic grapes retain a high, pithy acidity coupled with mouthwatering notes of grapefruit, orange zest, and ripe peach. Both Muscat varieties are fermented separately (with a touch of Macabeo, in the case of the Muscat d’Alexandrie), but each see two to three weeks of skin contact, resulting in a layered texture and earthy notes of white pepper, ginger and basil on the palate. With only 11% alcohol, this is a bottle I’d bring chilled to Brighton Beach to enjoy alongside Uzbek pickles and a potato and cheese khachapuri. Kate Masters