This afternoon we participated in a very interesting and enlightening tasting of Muscadet from 1989 thru 2005. Jack Vesey really worked hard to come up with fifteen interesting Muscadet. We had fifteen bottles and fifteen tasters.
First flight was all 2005: Dom. del la Tourmalin by Gadais Père et fils, Dom. de la Quilla from Daniel et Gérard Vinet, and Clos des Allées 'Vielles Vignes’from Pierre Luneau-Papin. The Tourmalin was classic Muscadet - good crisp acidity and light fruit. The Quilla (for me the wine of the flight) was bright flowery fruit with crisp acidity. The Clos des Allées (from 45 -50 year-old vines) was interesting, with complex fruit and good acid backbone. For me the flight order was Quilla, Allées, Tourmalin.
Second flight was also all 2005 from Marc Ollivier: Clos des Briords VV, Cuvée Eden VV, and Granite de Clisson. All were noticibly better than the first flight. The Briords was complex flowery white fruit with bracing acidity, the Eden was pleasant fruit and good acidity, the Granite was the wine of the flight - a great balance of acidity and rich complex, flowery fruit.
Third flight was the last of the all 2005s, From Guy Brossard’s Dom. de l’Ecru: Cuvée Classique, Expression de Gneiss, and a sadly, badly corked Expression de Granite. The Classique was complex spicy, flowery complex fruit with good acidity, The Gneiss was lighter fruit with good minerality. It’s really unfortunate that the Granite was so corked; I very much wanted to compare the Gneiss and Granite. Surprisingly the two Brossards we were able to enjoy weren’t up to the Olliviers.
Fourth flight was three distinct vintages from Jo Landron’s Dom. de la Louvetrie, 2005, 2000, & 1993. They were all quite similar with bright acidity and increasing spicy complexity with age.
Last flight was a 2002 Ch. de Chasseloir ‘Cuvée des Ceps Centenaires’ (from over a hundred-year old vines) and two from Pierre Luneau-Papin, his Cuvée Médaliiiée - le L d’Or, 1995 and 1989. All three were the wines of the tasting, with spicy, complex white fruits and bracing acidity with relatively long finishes. The older wines I wouldn’t have with oysters, but with richer seafood dishes.
Food with the tasting started with a tasty shrimp ceviche (onions, tomatoes, and lime), which was very good with most of the Muscadets, all but the really aged ones. We also had red chile and pork tamales (very dry), green chile chicken enchiladas, and snapper with tomatoes and onions (no chiles). All the 2005s were good with the spicy green chile enchiladas. The acidity balanced the heat of the chiles. The snapper filets were good with all, especially after being cut up and added to the ceviche.
The tasting was amazing, seeing how gracefully good Muscadets age, as well as the fruit and complexity of many.
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