Muscadet - Basking in Crisp, Oceanic Goodness

Two years ago, I called Muscadet “Frances’s Most Oceanic Wine.” After recently tasting threw a slew of Muscadets and eating all sorts of seafood, I realize I made a mistake. Muscadet is the world’s most oceanic wine. When it comes to pairing wine with all things from the ocean, I say: Muscadet. 

Oysters, crab, shrimp, lobster... if it comes from the ocean, Muscadet will do the trick.

I recently got together with a ton of great wine friends for the third annual “Muscaday,” a feast of fruits de la mer and far too many bottles of great Muscadet.

A Muscadet primer by Lettie Teague in the Wall Street Journal declared the wine to be “the oyster’s best friend.”  Oh, so true. I’ve used the term oyster shell or oyster brine to describe many a Muscadet, so pairing one with the other is a no-brainer.  

The third installment of Muscaday involved a few semi-vertical tastings of a particular wine.

Luneau-Papin’s Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Le “L” d’Or is one of the most intriguing Muscadets I’ve had the pleasure of tasting. The wine comes from granite soils on sloping, riverside hills, which give the wine a lovely mineral intensity. The L d’Or spends nine-to-eleven months on the less, which are stirred to give the wine a creamy texture.

Vintage variation keeps things interesting, and allows us ultra-nerds to discuss the nuances and debate the cellar potential of each year, but all of these wines are flat-out beautiful. I love the depth of oceanic elements and the precision of these wines. I thought the 1997 was showing beautifully, but perhaps the 2002 crept ahead just a bit for my palate because of its slightly higher intensity and brightness. That said, I’d happily sip any of these bottles over the course of a weekend — with seafood, of course.

1995 Le “L” d'Or
A bit closed and muted at first but shows a lot of minerals, melon, chalk. Not too briny, moderately floral, similar to the 2002 in its structure, but with a bit less verve.

1997 Le “L” d’Or

Briny, focused, bright, tons of sour lemon, sea breeze, crusty jetty rocks. Creamy notes, slight honey, still plenty of life ahead. Up there with the 2002 for my favorite.

1999 Le “L” d’Or

Bright, a bit more seashells on this one, still an attractive creaminess, plenty of acid.

2002 Le “L” d’Or

A beautiful L d'Or, tons of cut and verve. Saline, chalk, intense and brisk with candied lemon, apricot, oyster shell and lots of potpourri and spice. So alive and bright, years ahead if cellared properly.

2005 Le “L” d’Or
Young but showing a ton of attractive elements. Chalky, floral, dried herbs, intensely oceanic. Great cut but creamy body, lots to unpack in the cellar.

I also had the chance to taste through several vintages of Pépière’s Clos des Briords. The 2008 was my favorite (and the oldest Briords I’ve yet to taste). Given how awesome these wines are in their youth, I really need to taste one with a decade or more of age, because I’m drooling just thinking of how well these could age.

2008 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
My favorite wine in this flight, perhaps of the night. Delicious, exotic, refined, full of complexity. So much chalk and minerals, but the green pear and apple fruit is still going, a creamy, richer aspect accents the acidity. Wonderful stuff, still seems to have years ahead.

2010 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
So brisk, briny, salty, full of lime and flowers. Intense, alive, nervy, but showing some refinement. I wish I had a half case of this to cellar and pop a bottle every year.

2012 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
A more bold and forward appeal (obviously, still tons of minerals, ocean spray and brine), but some orange, apple and candied lemon. Seems to be opening up, I'd love to try this again in two-to-four years.

2013 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Still really intense and young, full of salty, oceanic intensity. Not as plump as the 2012, but a lot of concentration and age-worthy potential. Very good stuff.

I didn’t taste through everything, and I didn’t take notes on everything I tasted, but I managed to scribble down some thoughts on a slew of other interesting Muscadets. Per usual, there was not a bad wine in the bunch.

1996 Chereau-Gunther Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Grande Cuvée Saint-Hilaire Château du Coing de St. Fiacre - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Super floral, honeysuckle, spice, some Riesling-like notes of oil and dried nuts. Still lively, but an attractive oily aspect. Very nice.

2002 Luneau-Papin / Domaine Pierre de la Grange Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Excelsior Clos des Noelles - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Probably the creamiest Muscadet in the bunch. Rich, almond, nougat, peaches, wax. Still crisp acid and full of mineral intensity, but a richness that is very attractive. Bold but beautiful.

2004 Jérémie Huchet & Jérémie Mourat Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Gorges - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Rich yet brisk, floral and alive, saline and honey line up perfectly. Aged characteristics of dried honey and herbs but still tons of freshness.

2005 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Trois - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Plump, full and yeasty, yet mineral-driven and full of tangy citrus and oceanic elements. Perhaps even more complex and effusive than when I tasted this in 2012.

2005 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Cuvée Eden - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Brisk, clean, yet floral and spicy. Peachy, lots of pears, seashells and spice notes. From magnum, still a ways to go.

2009 Chéreau-Carré Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Le Clos du Chateau l'Oiseliniere - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Crisp and tart, limes and sea shells, oceanic but light and perhaps a bit restrained. Quite nice, but perhaps it needs time?

2010 Jérémie Huchet & Jérémie Mourat Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Clisson - Les Bêtes Curieuses - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Tangy, intense, chalky, lots of minerals and oyster shells yet maintains a fruity, suave appeal.

 

2010 Domaine Bruno Cormerais Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Granite de Clisson - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Elegant, so mineral-driven, lots of slate and saline. The lime, green pear and spice elements work well. Seems to be in prime drinking condition.

2010 Luneau-Papin / Domaine Pierre de la Grange Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Terre de Pierre Butte de la Roche - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Salty, clean, full of minerals, but a richer approach, leesy with some serious concentration. I’d hold this for three-to-eight.