Good News! 2012 Pépière "Clisson" and 2010 "Quatre" Have Arrived!
1/14/15-
Good news seems to be in short supply these days, but the arrival of great new wines from Domaine de la Pépière is certainly something to celebrate. Our friend Marc Ollivier has given us many beautiful wines over the last twenty-five years and he has added two more brilliant Muscadets that belong in your cellar. 2012 was an outstanding but very low-yielding vintage at Pépière and produced one of the finest Clos des Briords ever made. The vintage features good ripeness matched with very firm acidities and corrrect levels of alcohol leading to wines with vibrant fruit that are built to age. The 2012 Clisson seems equal to the superb 2010 - it will be sensational in 2032, but for those who can't defer their gratification, it's sensational right now as well! Along with the 2012 Clisson comes the 2010 Cuvée Quatre - Marc and Rémi have continued their experiments with long sur-lie aging, inspired by historical records from the 19th century and by their friends Michel Bregeon and Pierre Luneau. (The 1976 Luneau-Papin L d'Or spent six years on the lees and is still drinking beatifully) This is their latest and perhaps most successful release in this series, bottled after spending four years sur-lie. While it's difficult to say how long it will age, it will be a quite wonderful accompaniment to any elegant seafood dish over the next ten years at least.
As Marc Ollivier nears retirement, we salute his long and distinguished career as one of the great winemakers of the Loire Valley. Early in his career Marc began harvesting by hand and fermenting with wild yeasts, he carefully obtained new parcels with old vines on great terroir and gradually converted his entire estate to organic farming. His "regular" Muscadet Sèvre et Maine is always an outstanding value and his old-vine cuvées - Clos des Briords, Gras Moutons, Clisson, Clos des Morines and his special long-elevage wines have helped elevate the image of Muscadet for wine-lovers around the world. And his wise association with the capable Rémi Branger and Gwénaëlle Croix ensures that Domaine de la Pépière will be producing great wines for many years to come. Thank you, Marc!
