Muscadet Sevre et Maine 1989 - 2010! Pépière Chateau Thébaud 2009!!
4/10/12 -
(Marc Ollivier, Harvest 2011)
One of our greatest pleasures over the years has been CSW's involvement with the greatest producers of Muscadet Sevre et Maine and the promotion of their beautiful wines. In a region where modern, mass-production winemaking has led to mediocrity and economic distress, a small number of vignerons persisted in honoring their superb terroirs by hand-harvesting, fermenting with indigenous yeasts and working well in the vineyard, producing great wines despite the low-prices and lack of recognition they received. These vignerons, Guy Bossard, Andre-Michel Bregeon, Jo Landron, Marc Ollivier, Luneau-Papin and a handful of others, have been responsible for maintaining and improving the traditions of quality in the region. The wines they produce, on the schist, gneiss, granite and gabbro soils of the Pays Nantais, are certainly among the worlds most distinctive white wines and offer fabulous value to the educated consumer. (The INAO, which governs French wine designations, is recognizing the work of these and other top producers of Muscadet by creating a new system of Cru Communals. The Cru regulations set official standards including extended sur-lie aging, minimum age of vines and lower yields. Already in place for Clisson, Gorges and Le Pallet, the regulations involved, though many feel they are not stringent enough, will help guarantee a higher level of quality to the consumer.) Today's email offers examples from many of the regions greatest terroirs, from excellent recent vintages as well as a few older wines generously released from the cellars at Luneau-Papin. We ask that purchases of 1989 and 2002 be limited to two bottles per person. For more information on the region and these producers please see our article "The Flavor of Stone, The Wines of Muscadet Sevre et Maine" http://www.chambersstwines.com/Articles/ReadArticle/1887. (Originally published in Ed Behr's superb quarterly "The Art of Eating" www.artofeating.com) Please note that the wines of Guy Bossard and the 2009 Pepiere Chateau Thebaud arrive approximately May 1st. Normal case discounts apply.
