Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet sur Lie Sèvre et Maine Loire Valley France 2005. 12% alcohol. Chambers Street Wines; $9.99. Lyle/Asimov bottle. Imported by Louis Dressner Selections, LDM Wines, Inc. New York, New York.
Clear white color, clear hue, lovely citrus and mineral notes, slightly bubbly - i.e. perlant, very good citrus and mineral tastes with hints of apples, flowers and a bit of iodine, firm acidity, relatively long finish. Delicious with a superb Wild Salmon Ikura (Caviar) from Vital Choice Seafood http://www.vitalchoice.com/ on Swedish Flatbread from IKEA -- one of my personal sinful pleasures. And at this price, even more sinful, even more delectable. 4*.
Regards, Bob
Notes:
Wikipedia: Muscadet is made at the western end of the Loire Valley, near the city of Nantes in the Pays de la Loire region neighboring the Brittany Region. More Muscadet is produced than any other Loire wine. It is made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, often referred to simply as melon. The wine comes from three terroirs: Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine and Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire. The Sèvre et Maine is the most highly reputed but the three growing areas are very large and produce a wide variety both in terms of tastes and quality.
Asimov: The selection also reminded me how important and overlooked the Loire Valley is as a source for fascinating wines. From the Pépière muscadet on the western edge of the Loire region to the Baudry Chinon and the Huet Vouvray demi-sec in the central Loire to the Boulay Sancerre on the eastern end, each of these four wines is made from a different grape in a different place. Each was thoroughly distinctive, delicious and a great value. If I were a beginner, I might not link them together geographically, but I think I would have enjoyed each of them.
Polaner: Muscadet is certainly one of the great underrated wine regions of France. The key to understanding Marc Ollivier's is to understand the label. "Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine" refers to the region's best appellation, between the rivers Sevre and Maine, and "sur Lie" indicates the wine was left on its lees. In fact, Marc's Muscadet-sur-Lie has lees contact until the time of bottling, generally in late May. (This traditional way of making Muscadet has now, unfortunately, become a rarity as more winemakers rush to bottle their wines by early January.)
As Louis/Dressner, the importer, says on their website: Ollivier takes his time to make his Muscadet. He hand harvests (a rarity in the region), uses natural yeasts, waits for the wine to finish fermentation, and bottles with a very light filtration. His Muscadet has a bright color; a slightly bubbly, round and supple mouthfeel with sound structure; and a clean and fruity finish. http://www.louisdressner.com/Ollivier/
The vineyards are in old vines (40+ years-old) with a particularly good exposition on a plateau overlooking the river Sèvre. All the vineyards are from original stock: Ollivier is the only grower in the Muscadet who does not have a single clonal selection in his vineyards. Ollivier also produces a very old vine cuvée of Muscadet from a single vineyard, the Clos des Briords, as well as a barrel-fermented and aged cuvée, the Clos Cormerais.