B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
"Today, Rémi Branger and Gwénaëlle Croix admirably run Domaine de la Pépière, keeping alive the same vision and commitment to exceptional quality that were the hallmarks of Marc Ollivier’s long career, and the estate remains one of the very finest in Muscadet." - John Gilman, View From the Cellar
There's no disputing Domaine de la Pépière's place in the Muscadet hierarchy. These are always among the finest terroir-driven expressions of this category that you'll come across, and the fact that almost anyone can buy them by the case and enjoy them for up to two decades also makes them some of the smartest collectible buys in all of French wine.
The latest releases have just landed in stock, boasting big scores from Gilman at some of the sharpest prices in the country. The domaine's flagship 2023 Les Gras Moutons is "refined, complex, and vibrant," and the 2023 Clos des Briords showcases this prized site of 90-year-old vines in all its glory, "a brilliant bottle in the making." Taking things up a notch, the "superb" 95-point 2022 Clisson "shows remarkable depth on the nose ... [with] a great core of fruit, superb mineral undertow, zesty acids and impeccable balance on the long, complex and very, very classy finish." From vines approaching the century mark, it boasts the complexity, detail, and long-term potential of many wines four times its price or more.
For Loire enthusiasts, Muscadet is the hub of ultimate insider steals, and these releases from Pépière should be at the top of the list for anyone seeking the apex of this dynamic yet still under-the-radar region. |