Although I have had excellent Muscadet from Domaine de l’Écu and Luneau-Papin, neither are easily available without a lot of driving since the Carrefour chain dropped Luneau-Papin’s Clos de L’Allée. The rest in the supermarkets and nearby wine shops leave me indifferent. Friends have urged me to try Pépière, found on a trip to Brussels, so here goes.
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie 2008 – Domaine de la Pépière – Alc.12% - (c.€8). I think that I was unlucky with this bottle because of the faint presence of fungal aromas (TCA?), which may be acceptable in a complex ageing Burgundy but not in a supposedly vibrant young(ish) sea food friendly bone dry white. Otherwise the qualities which I were looking for were there, namely crisp acidity, abundant mineral veering to salt on the finish, fresh white fruit and some slight underlying “gras”. What a pity! But I’ll persevere with this estate. I also bought a bottle of their Les Gras Moutons 09. This bottle NR.
Rully 1er cru Grésigny 2004 – Paul Jacqueson – Alc.13%
In summer 2007 I wrote –
“Very nice. C : Medium deep yellow. N: Expressive with fresh white fruit, nuts and mineral notes with hints of coconut in the background. P: Freshly tasty, round and quite long with good acidity and “gras” with finesse and a harmonious mix of similar aromas to those on the nose. Wood derived notes may be too much for a certified quercophobe but I thought that they were unobtrusive and contributed complexity. (From the days when Jacqueson father was a regular visitor to Belgium, I recall his saying that he used about 25% new barrels.)”
Nearly 5 years later, there’s very little which I would change in that TN other than to add reference a dab of creaminess and to play down even more the oakiness which was by now no more than a polished dark patina; 16/20.
Beaune Clos-des-Couchereaux 1988 – Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot – Alc.13%
I had several bottles of this from slow maturing 1988 but the earlier ones were unyielding. A bottle in 2007 was opening up but had difficulty in standing up to a veal and mushroom stew. This bottle, my last, was by far the best, paired beautifully with pigeon and demonstrates that I should have been more patient.
C : Medium depth transparent ruby with some bricking at the rim. N: Quite subdued but expressive showing a round pinot character with some plum and cherry with some kirsch creeping in. P: Medium but at most and restrained but everything was there; beautifully shaped with good depth, velvety feel, acidity still lively but no longer astringent, resolved tannic structure and good length. This was very attractive and shows that there was a elegantly hedonistic Burg lying all those years under a stern exterior; 17/20.
Beaujolais Terres Dorées Chardonnay Classic 2010 – Jean-Paul Brun – Alc.12% - showed attractive aromas of subdued minerals and white fruit with peach touches and a medium bodied palate with similarly attractive and lively fruit, gentle minerals, lively acidity and some welcome backbone on the finish; 15.5/20++.