7/3/26 - 

2025 Pépière Briords VV & 2022 Gorges, Jo Landron, Luneau-Papin and Introducing Pierre Goiset!!

We're proud to present a sensational array of Muscadet in today's email, featuring one of our all-time favorites, the Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie "Briords Cuvée Vieilles Vignes." 2025 is a superb vintage for Briords, with gorgeous fruit and mineral flavors, beautiful as a young wine and worthy of 10 to 15 years in the cellar. (Please note: the importer's NY allocation is already sold out, but we have a good supply - but don't delay!)
Before his retirement, Marc Ollivier of Pépière was particularly happy with his Muscadet Crus "Gorges" and "Château Thébaud," both of which are available today. The 2022 Gorges has just arrived - it's truly a great wine, bottled in May 2026, with fantastic complexity and elegance, beautifully expressing the unique Gabbro terroir. This very young wine is a great experience now, but it will take at least ten to fifteen years for it's full potential to be realized. (I'm putting a case in my cellar, even though I'm 76 years-old!)

Today's great line-up from Pépière includes the 2023 Cru "Clisson," the 2022 Cru "Château Thébaud" and the lovely 2025 "Pépie." Bring on the oysters, mussels, scallops and fish of all kinds - or just enjoy these beautiful wines by themselves!

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Introducing Domaine Pierre Goiset!

We encountered Pierre Goiset in France last winter and were captivated by the purity, minerality and freshness of his wines. A recent convert to winemaking, Pierre started in 2021 with a few hectares of Melon de Bourgogne and Merlot, principally on the granite terroirs of Château Thébaud overlooking the river Maine, and a small parcel on soils of gneiss, orthogneiss and quartz above the Sèvre. Our tastings indicated that this new vigneron was doing everything right, and in fact he is – certified organic farming with biodynamic practices; Guyot-Poussard pruning; horse-drawn cultivation for soil loosening around the vines; shallow disc cultivation between the rows; hand-harvesting in small crates; light crushing; whole-cluster pressing (8-hour cycle) in a vertical hydraulic press; fermentation using indigenous yeasts; minimal use of sulfur. Pierre does not submit his wines for AOC approval, thus they are all Vin de France and they are all completely delightful! The three wines that would be Muscadet are pure, crystalline and saline with beautiful texture. The two Merlots, sparkling and still, are simply delicious.

There is incredible quality and enjoyment here at modest prices, we urge you to try them all!

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Domaine Landron 

Domaine Landron is now run by Jo's daughter Hélène Landron and her husband Nicolas Chaurois (former cheese-makers). The two officially joined Jo in 2022, and Jo sort-of retired in 2024. With Jo's tutelage, the wines are, of course, still marvelous and we're happy to offer two of our favorites - the very dense and mineral 2023 "Les Houx" and the light and vibrant 2025 Amphibolite. Both are perfect for summer 2026, although the "Les Houx" will open up a bit more with 3 to 5 years of aging...

One of the very greatest Muscadets is the Luneau-Papin L D'Or! 2022 is a great vintage for this wine, and yes, it's delicious now but we encourage you to find room in your cellar for 10 to 20 years...

News Flash! The extraordinary 2023 Domaine de la Parentière arrived in NJ yesterday  and can ship to us on 7/8! Michel and Guilhaume Ménager produce vibrant Muscadet from old vines on their tiny estate between Clisson and Vallet on slopes above the river Sangueze, which they have tended organically for more than 40 years. The sub-soil is gabbro (also the bedrock of the Pépière "Gorges") similar to basalt that gives a unique aromatic quality and density to the wine. At $16.99 this wine is the greatest value in Muscadet!

-David Lillie

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