Travels with DJ Steve, 2012 in the Muscadet

originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by MLipton:
There goes the wine budget...
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Hey, c'mon, it's Muscadet! It's not as though I'm enticing you into Musigny or some such.
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To quote Mad magazine from bygone years: "You can go broke saving money"

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Don Rice:
Nice!

Did you get any sense from P-M whether 2009 Pueri Solis was another happy accident (as in 2005) or is there a plan to pursue this style?
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It's a good question. He is very excited about the wines, seems to think think they fill a hole in the wine world. I'm not totally sure he's right--the various outre cuvees that many of these folks make all seem exchangeable with a lot of other wines if your gastronomic view is not from Nantes.

I suspect we will see them again in other hot vintages from those sites. They don't stop the fermentation or anything like that to keep the rs (not much, 4-5 g.), so I imagine it is more a question of when they pick and how ripe the grapes are.

I would add that the Muscadet guys do feel that they are getting a bit more respect, and that the Cru Communal effort has helped that a lot. Marc said that 10 years ago a restaurant in Nantes might have had a Menetou-Salon BTG but not a Muscadet, and that has changed.
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If ever respect was deserved for the folks who are getting it done; they have it coming. There's a lot of terroir expression and useful at the table delicious in those bottles. Respect!
 
We opened an 09 Briords on Sunday that was drinking very nicely. Probably a bit soft for those of Joe's persuasion in such things, but I liked the bit of fluffy buffer, personally, and the core of limpid, crystally crispness palpably brightened my outlook on life in general.

Don't know if these are long keepers, and will probably begin drinking though my bottles before much longer.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:

...this is a long-winded way of saying that guys like Bettane who have lately been slamming natural wine are very much lagging indicators. Tasting a number of natural winemakers whose work used not to delight me because of various pesky wine flaws, I was totally impressed this trip by how they have cleaned up their winemaking without losing the “natural” excitement in their wines...
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People assessing wine (or on the downside, investing in vineyards!) often forget about learning curves, whether it's Pinot Noir in Oregon, white blends in Gascogne, or Vignoles/Norton in Missouri. Glad to hear it may be the same for the natural wine movement. Although no SO2 would still make me nervous, or at least very alert to refrigeration.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
We opened an 09 Briords on Sunday that was drinking very nicely. Probably a bit soft for those of Joe's persuasion in such things, but I liked the bit of fluffy buffer, personally, and the core of limpid, crystally crispness palpably brightened my outlook on life in general.

Don't know if these are long keepers, and will probably begin drinking though my bottles before much longer.
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I drank one [well most of one] last night with a nice piece of halibut. Just as you say and with no complaint about the lack of need to brace too hard for the acid train.
For me it would be difficult to choose between this and the 09 Gras Moutons but who needs to choose since both are eminently drinkable now.

Some 2002 L-P Le 'L' d'Or planned for Friday. I hope this is still the success I remember.

Separately thank you Joe for your interestingly written and useful report/s.

Luneau-Papin, Ollivier and Bossard provide my favourite Muscadets and are obtainable here in the UK. Unfortunately the only Bregeon wines I have had have been in the Loire and not easy to get hold of even there and find Jo Landron's wines at Chidaine's excellent outlet in Montlouis - La Cave Insolite. Perhaps it is an insight into the problems that Muscadet still has [glad to see some evidence from this thread that certain things remain strong despite the general financial problems of many producers] even in its backyard that Landron's are the only Muscadets in La Cave which stocks a much wider range of Loire wines [indeed a selection of wines from across France] including Chidaine's direct competitors.
 
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