Friday night TNs: Two from Pepiere

WINE TALK
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Kind of a crappy day at work, so it put a smile on my face to see a little stack of shipping boxes sitting in the garage when I got home. [cheers.gif]

First up, the 2008 Pepiere Muscadet Les Gras Moutons Cuvee Eden. Very light yellow-white in the glass, with a briny nose that speaks of the sea shore. Sharp acidity on the palate, with sweet fruit swelling up on the brisk & lengthy finish. This is my first time trying this cuvee, and on first glance I like it less than the '08 Clos des Briords, although I would also say that this wine comes across as very young right now.

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Thanks for the note, not too many recent notes on these. I have six of these and plan to try one soon. I really liked the '08 sur lie early on and have been a fan of the Briords too. Plan to order my '09 pretty soon here.

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Next up, the 2005 Pepiere Muscadet “Trois” or 3. Maybe even a shade lighter in the glass than the Moutons, but the nose has a richness to it that almost speaks to the extended lees exposure. Very nice nose. Another young wine on the palate, yet more harmonious and less overtly acidic than the first wine. Really extends itself on the palate, with a finish I’m still savoring as I type this. Even though it is a pricier wine than the Clos des Briords, there is so much class & breeding here that you have to think of this as serious QPR. I drink a lot of muscadet as a rule, and while I like it, I seldom understand how people think of it as a substitute for fine chablis - this however, is one cuvee where I could understand the analogy. Very impressive, and off this showing, more good things will await those with patience.

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Thanks for your notes on the Pepieres, Bob. I’d love to try the '05 Trois.

As we speak, I’m drinking a 2007 Pepiere Granite de Clisson. At $22/bottle, I’d have no qualms in saying it favorably compares with many of the best Chablis AOC I have had the pleasure to drink, and it does well against some 1er Cru Chablis that I have enjoyed alot.

The 2009 Pepiere Briords is stunning, one of the best QPR’s of my nearly 40-year wine drinking life (I bought several bottles at a recent Binny’s 15% off sale for $12.75 each). While surprisingly accessible and very tasty now with an hour or so of air, it should improve for at least a few years.

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I had the 2005 Pepiere “Trois” tonight as well, and felt that it definately played/showed the grape’s relationship to Chardonnay. It felt more Cote d’Or white rather than Chablis to me – the leesy effect? – but still very young and vibrant, if maybe a little muddled on the finish – not quite the drive, detail or persistence of better white Burgundy, but aromatics, fruit and texture are Burgundy. It would be an interesting wine to throw into a tasting of at least premier cru Cote d’Or or Chablis as it should show quite well.

Really a lovely and a great value compared to what you’d probably pay for something equivalent from any other region.

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Thanks for the posts on these. Just now starting to explore Muscadet (my wife and I are big Chablis fans, and so far, Muscadets are the only <$25/bottle white alternatives we’ve really liked). Have been on the lookout for Pepiere. Is there a particular cuvee one would recommend for those new to this producer?

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These are the types of notes I look for on this BB. I have never had the wine, but just bought a case based on your comment.

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Please post a note when you get your Briords, I’ll be interested in your impressions.

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Well, you have pretty much seen most of his muscadets named here.

  • Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine, I’ve never seen this standard wine, but have seen notes
  • “Sur Lie” this is the basic I see, its a great value for early drinking
  • Clos de Briords - great wine that lives up to its considerable hype IMO
  • Gras Moutons Cuvee Eden - priced similarly to Briords I own but have yet to try, sure it will be fun to compare
  • Granit & Clisson
  • Cuvee “3”

If I had only one bad thing to say about Pepiere its that since I first bought the wines a couple of years ago I have not explored other producers. These wines offer such quality for the money that I simply reorder these in quantity rather than branching out.

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I love the Briords every year. I wish the Clisson came out this way though. I’ve yet to try it.

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Not to make you “jealous”, Chris, but two of the packages yesterday contained mags of the '07 Clisson flirtysmile .

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BTW, as crappy as work was yesterday, it’s now the start of the weekend, and I’m sitting here savoring a pre-Noon glass of the Trois - what the heck, it’s probably 5:00 p.m. in Nantes, right!

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Will do, thanks again for the rec!

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Thanks, this is very helpful. Haven’t been able to find any Pepiere locally, so will look around. For local findings I’ve really enjoyed Domaine de Beauregard.

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I opened another bottle of the 2009 Pepiere Briords tonight. As good as it was the first few times, with each new bottle there is more and more to appreciate. This is a special wine that upon release rises far above its modest price point right out of the starting blocks. Unlike most young vintages of the Briords, for me this one rocks the house now. While it may develop a little more complexity over the next couple of years, there is a lot going on now and it is impeccably balanced with plenty of fresh, energetic verve.

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They’re all great, but I’d start with the Clos de Briords. IMO it typifies the Pepiere style and is consistently sensational. Definitely worth the extra few dollars from the basic cuvee. Granite de Clisson is very impressive as well. I haven’t tried the Trois yet, but I have a few bottles waiting in my locker.

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I just bought a Mag of the 07 Clisson at K&l a few weeks ago. They don’t have any now but perhaps will get more.

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Great wines across the board from this estate. I only wish they were a little easier to get hold of in the UK. Marc Ollivier does seem to focus on selling them in the US! [cry.gif]

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Thanks for the recommendation, Ryan. I’ll be on the lookout for this one in particular.

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Steven,

I am from STL and now live in KC, and I am pretty sure you won’t find these locally, as I have not seen them distributed in MO. Louis/Dressner imports these wines, and I don’t know if they have MO distribution at all. They are definitely worth ordering for delivery though. Chambers Street in NYC is great, and Wine Library tends to carry these at good price.