2023 Pépière "Briords," the Superb 2019s and More Muscadet!
First produced in 1988, the Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet "Briords Vieilles Vignes" is made from a three hectare parcel of old massale-selection vines (all over 60 years old, with a high percentage much older) on a slope above the Maine. The bedrock is Granite de Château Thébaud, a fissured rock that allows the vines to penetrate deeply, with ideal thin topsoils of clay with sand and gravel allowing good drainage. The 2023 "Briords" is a beautiful young Muscadet, with a bit more grip and density than the previous few years. This superb granite-based wine belongs in your fridge and in your cellar, but don't be in a hurry to drink it. (Certified organic and Biodynamic)
Domaine de la Pépière made outstanding Cru Communal wines in 2019, Marc Olliver's last vintage, certainly among the very finest Muscadets of the last ten years. (I will be buying a case of each for my cellar and I suggest you do the same)
The 2019 Cru Communal Monnières - Saint-Fiacre is from a parcel of old vines on bedrock of gneiss, rich in minerals such as feldspar, mica and iron, with sandy limestone topsoils. Notes from Remi Branger: "After many tastings we decided to keep it three years on the lees before bottling - less fat, more mineral than usual in 2019." This is a beautiful wine for drinking over the next ten to fifteen years.
The 2019 Cru Communal Château Thébaud comes from old vines in vineyards with great terroir on slopes overlooking the river Maine. The granite here (Granite de Château Thébaud, oddly enough) is fissured and permeable by the vine roots which have access to water during dry spells and absorb micro-nutrients along the way. 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014 here were among the best of the vintage in Muscadet and the 2019 will stand out as well due to the combination of density and minerality with the firm acidity and great ripeness of this very good vintage year for Muscadet.
Our friend Marc Ollivier
Also on offer today is our very last stock of the 2022 Pépière Muscadet "La Pepie!" This beautiful bargain is from primarily granite soils and was a great success in 2022, with a bit more weight and density due to the warm, dry conditions of the vintage. But don't worry, the 2023 is excellent as well and will be in the store next week.
Jo Landron is one of the nicest humans you will ever meet and his Muscadets are always among the finest, due to his great farming, great terroir and beautiful winemaking - we're proud to offer his unique "Les Houx" and the complex and age-worthy "Fief du Breil."
And we're happy to welcome another "Gras Moutons" to Chambers Street, this time from Claude and Sebastien Branger (yes, related to Remi Branger of Pépière). Although from the same vineyard, the Branger parcel has more amphibolite in the soil with a bedrock of gneiss, bringing tastes of flint and smoke to the white and yellow fruits and citrus in this lovely wine. The vines were planted between 1930 and 1986, and average more than 50 years old. Ripe, round, concentrated, and intensely mineral, this wine can age beautifully but is perfectly refreshing and delicious now.
