In the fall of 2010 Kermit Lynch advertised a 2002 Muscadet by Michel Bregeon that had "spent 85 months on its lees before bottling," according to the KL newsletter. Now, given the reputation of Bregeon and the excellence of the 2002 Muscadet vintage, and given the novelty of a Muscadet that had been sitting on lees for more than seven years, I jumped at the chance to order a half case and gladly payed the tariff, which came to $32.75 a bottle with transportation. But then what was I to do with it? Drink it up or cellar it a couple of decades? So over the next year I drank a couple of bottles with pleasure, gave away a couple, dumped a flawed one down the drain, and after several more months we drank the last bottle tonight. A glorious bottle! I wish I had kept every one and started drinking them only now. It's unlike any Muscadet I've ever had, and I've had plenty. I don't want to compare it with typical Muscadets, even superb ones like, say, the 2002 and 2005 Pepiere Briords, because this one isn't what you want for for washing down oysters. It comes with its own brand of elegance, with overtones of something my wife says is akin to strawberry but strikes me more like tangerine.
But I don't know what to call it. The front label is white with a blue shield and says only "2002 Muscadet Sevre et Maine, Appelation Muscadet Sevre et Maine Controlee, Mis en bouteille par Michel Bregeon Viticulteur, les Guisseaux F 44190 Gorges - TEl. 02 40 06 93f 19. It's not the regular Bregeon Muscadet, nor the Reserve, and as I recall there is another that is aged on the lees for a shorter period. A couple of guys on Cellar-Tracker have notes on 2002 Bregeon Muscadet "Gorge," so could that be it?