WTN: 2004 Pépière

Domaine de la Pépière 2004 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie. The basic bottling, closed with a short synthetic cork; $10/btl by the case in 2005. Slightly deeper in color than its younger brethren and now showing a light tint of copper. Taut and complex: still-vibrant citrus and mineral shading into lightly spiced quince, with a strong element of sea-breeze and seaweed, too. The color and the spice characteristics suggest that this is about to start a rapid descent, but like those few seconds the roller-coaster car seems to freeze at the top of the first hill before hurtling you to your certain doom, it's tense and thrilling now. There's one more in the cellar, which we'll drink soon, hoping but not expecting that it will be in a similar spot.

Nice TN. I have already downed with great pleasure two out of three of your wine's 2015 descendant and last could well have followed with last night's mussels but I chose a delicious Saint-Bris instead. I would never have guessed that it might have the potential of another 8 years.

Me neither Tim. Look forward to hearing about the Saint-Bris.

I so rarely buy full cases of anything (I'm too much of a butterfly for that) that it seemed easy to stash away a couple of bottles of this as an experiment. I think I've got some 2005 Briords left, too, but it would be less surprising for that to be doing well 12 years out, I suppose.

[David M. Bueker]

2005 Briords is in a great place right now. Of course it is not corked with plastic.