Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie Clos des Briords 2020
Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier & Rémi Branger) · Domaine de la Pépière
The Clos des Briords is the wine that makes sommeliers fall in love with Muscadet all over again. Marc Ollivier's old vines, grown on granite beside the Atlantic, produce a white wine of startling mineral intensity — this is not the neutral, forgettable Muscadet of the supermarket shelf. The 2020 vintage, with its ideal growing conditions, delivered a wine of exceptional concentration and tension. At around $28, it might be the single greatest value in serious white wine today, and the world's finest partner for oysters, ceviche, and shellfish. If you've dismissed Muscadet, this bottle will change your mind. Cocktail — "The Nantais Spritz": Pour 3 oz Clos des Briords Muscadet over ice in a large wine glass. Add 2 oz Prosecco and a splash of elderflower liqueur. Garnish with a thin slice of green apple and a sprig of mint. The mineral backbone of the Muscadet gives this spritz a savory depth most lack.
Nose
Crushed granite and sea spray hit first — a strikingly mineral nose. Beneath it, green apple, lemon zest, and a hint of white flowers. With time, a yeasty, bread-dough quality emerges from the extended lees contact.
Palate
Bone-dry and razor-sharp, with a racy acidity that makes your mouth water. Citrus and green apple flavors are woven through a chalky, almost saline minerality — the granite subsoil asserting itself. Despite its leanness, the extended sur lie aging gives the wine a subtle creaminess that prevents austerity.
Finish
Long, clean, and mineral, with a persistent saline tang and a finish of crushed stone and lemon pith that lingers and invites another sip. Wine
- Varietal
- Melon de Bourgogne
- Blend
- 100% Melon de Bourgogne
Cocktail Suggestion
Cocktail — "The Nantais Spritz": Pour 3 oz Clos des Briords Muscadet over ice in a large wine glass. Add 2 oz Prosecco and a splash of elderflower liqueur. Garnish with a thin slice of green apple and a sprig of mint. The mineral backbone of the Muscadet gives this spritz a savory depth most lack.
Food Pairing
Fresh oysters on the half shell — the classic Muscadet pairing. The wine's granite-born minerality and saline finish echo the brine of the oyster so perfectly that it feels less like a pairing and more like a natural conversation.
Lagavulin 16 Year
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Yamazaki 12 Year
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Château Montelena Chardonnay 2022 is the proving ground that changed the wine world — and then kept going. The 1976 Judgment of Paris proved that California could rival Burgundy; every vintage since has proved that the result was no accident. Under winemaker Matt Crafton, the 2022 continues Montelena's signature style: restrained, precise, and unapologetically built for purity over power. The blocked malolactic and early picking deliver a Chardonnay of exceptional freshness and focus — a wine that lets the fruit speak rather than the oak. For a house with a Smithsonian bottle to its name, that kind of quiet confidence is the most powerful statement of all. Cocktail — The Judgment Spritz: 4 oz Château Montelena Chardonnay, 1 oz elderflower liqueur, 2 oz sparkling water, squeeze of fresh lemon. Build in a wine glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist and a sprig of thyme. A light, elegant spritz that preserves the wine's delicate aromatics.
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Gravner
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Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2020
Leeuwin Estate
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Pazo de Señorans Albariño 2022
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