Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie Gras Moutons Vieilles Vignes 2023
Domaine de la Pépière · Domaine de la Pépière
Muscadet is among the most undervalued white wines in the world, and Pépière's Vieilles Vignes bottlings prove why that reputation needs revising. This is not simple seafood wine — it's a serious expression of terroir with a finish that rivals bottles at three times the price. The mineral persistence is remarkable.
Nose
Citrus zest and green apple with a pronounced mineral backbone. Hints of white flowers and crushed stone emerge with aeration, along with a subtle saline quality.
Palate
Lean and taut, with citrus and green apple providing the fruit core while a stony, almost chalky minerality drives the mid-palate. Extended lees aging gives a gentle creaminess that softens the acidity without masking it.
Finish
Long and saline, with a mineral thread that persists well beyond what you'd expect from Muscadet. The citrus fades, but the stony quality lingers, pulling you back for another sip.
- Varietal
- Melon de Bourgogne
- Blend
- 100% Melon de Bourgogne
- Vineyards
- Gras Moutons, old vines (60+ years), granite and gneiss soils, Maisdon-sur-Sèvre
- Alcohol
- 12.5%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
- Skin Contact
- No
Food Pairing
The wine's saline minerality and lean acidity make it a natural partner for raw oysters, langoustines, and briny shellfish, where its citrus and stone notes amplify the ocean's freshness.
Marc Ollivier built Domaine de la Pépière into the benchmark Muscadet estate over four decades of meticulous viticulture near Maisdon-sur-Sèvre, and his successors Gwénaëlle Croix and Rémi Branger continue the tradition of old-vine, low-intervention winemaking from granite and gneiss soils.
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