Opened 3 whites, not at the same time, but all within the same week.
2009 Baudry Croix Boissee Chinon Blanc
Clear, with light gold tint hinting just the slightest of advancement. Smoky/floral/somewhat oxidative Chenin nose. Fresh flavors from a mélange of citrus fruit, complementary layers of mineral and hint of savory broth. Tart and refreshing grapefruit notes. Good length. B+/A-
2012 Pepiere Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie Clos des Briords
One word: smooth. Ripe, lush citrus. I’d never thought I’d use the word “elegant” to describe a usually/traditionally high-toned Muscadet. Intensity appeared to have dialed down from last taste (2+ years ago). Very long finish. B+
2014 Pepiere Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie Clos des Briords
Flowers, stone, and seashell bouquet. Talk about high intensity! Mouth-puckering, eye-squinting acidity. Strong mineral and seashell notes. Ripe white fruit. Complete. A-
Thanks for the notes Ramon and glad to hear the '14 Briords is in a good place. I almost pulled one of these last night but went a different route. Probably my favorite vintage and I’m sadly down to my last 2 bottles. Was not nearly as much of a fan of the '15, which has so much less cut and is too round IMO. The next time a vintage like '14 comes around I need to really back up the truck.
Just to add, being the only alcohol-drinker in the household, remaining 50% of each bottle were re-corked back into the refrigerator overnight for the the next dinner.
On day 2, all 3 were more complex and I admittedly found them more enjoyable, and also showed to be almost as sturdy as they were in the 1st day. 2014 Briords is a long-haul beast.
I’m trying to get handle on vintage differences between the most recent few. I saw your discussion of differences between 14 and 15 - how would you compare those to 16 and 17?
The hallmark of Pepiere’s Briords are the cutting acidity, high mineral notes and intensity. Those vintages showed them all. But I preferred 17 to 16, in a larger way than I preferred 14 to the 15. In fact my order preference in the last 4 vintage releases is 14, 17, 15, and 16.
Cheers, Faryan! Amazing and thankful that the wines stay consistent year-after-year while maintaining their reasonable pricing … at least with Pepiere’s Briords.
Even though I have stopped buying, I couldn’t resist these comments and bought 6 bottles of the 2017. That and my recent 04 Briords which was as good as an excellent chablis,
If I had bought a case it would have been even cheaper, $15/bottle.
I had a little Pepiere '17 horizontal last night, with a Briords, along with their two La Pepie base Cuvee (one muscadet, one cab franc). The '17 Briords remind me of a cross between the '14 and '15 - chiseled and strikingly intense, but with a rounder mouthfeel and a bit more ripe fruit on the back. I like the '15 at least as much as the '14, if not a tiny bit more. But the '17 may end up being the best of the bunch.
As for the entry level Muscadet, it was a bit more tart and less balanced, but shared many profile traits of the Briords and was very quaffable. It’s hard to justify buying this when Briords is available for only $4 more… except as a cellar defender to protect those Briords.
The Pepie cab franc was also quaffable and fun, although it’s not in the same league as some of the of the $15 Loire reds I’ve had in the past couple years.
Just had a glass of a 2015 Pepiere (the Chateau Theobaud) and while it was pleasant, it wasn’t exciting. Is it a more pedestrian bottling or the vintage?
Switched to a glass of Descombes 2015 Morgon Vielle Vignes which was a great Morgon.
