Domaine de la Pepiere - Muscadet Sevre et Maine Clisson 2023

Domaine de la Pépière's "Clisson" was one of the first single-cru Muscadets and it remains the standard-bearer. The wine is produced from very old vines (between 50 and 100 years old) planted on pure granite soils in the best part of the Clisson cru. Fruit is picked by hand, direct-pressed, fermented with natural yeast and aged for a minimum of two years underground vats on the full lees before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The result is a tense, savory, deeply mineral wine bursting with citrus and salt. There’s plenty of power and concentration on hand but it’s all perfectly balanced by zippy acidity and a cooling, herbal edge. It’s virtually impossible to resist Clisson in its ebullient youth, but the pro move is to bury a few bottles deep in your cellar. With even just a few years, layer upon layer of savory fruit and crunchy granitic minerality continue to reveal themselves. This wine is a total win at any price.