Domaine de la Pépière "Clos des Briords" Loire Valley, France 2023

FROM LOUIS/DRESSNER:

THE WINE: "Clos des Briords" is located on the hillsides of the river Maine a tributary of the Loire. The site totals 4.40 hectares and the vines were planted between 1950 and 1989, with the vast majority between 50 and 70 years old. The soils are "granite de Thebaud" but do not fall within the Château-Thebaud cru designation (more on that terroir later). Only a small part of the oldest vines produce the "Clos des Briords" bottling.

THE PRODUCER: Ollivier’s Muscadet-sur-Lie is the authentic item — it has lees contact until the time of bottling generally in late May. This extended contact gives it the crispness that makes Muscadet so refreshing, and the classic wine match for seafood. It is the traditional way to make but has become the exception as growers and shippers rush to bottle “technically correct” wines by early January.

In this rush to bottle, Muscadet producers use special “starter” yeasts (which often also add flavors and aromas) to accelerate fermentation and enzymes or other techniques to finish the wine early. Sterile filtration is in rampant use.

Ollivier takes his time. He hand harvests (also a rarity in the region), uses natural yeasts, waits for the wine to finish and bottles with a very light filtration.

The vineyards are in old vines (40 years and older) with a particularly good exposition on a plateau overlooking the river Sèvre. All the vineyards are from original stock: Ollivier is the only grower in the Muscadet who does not have a single clonal selection in his vineyards.