The Power of Granite
2009 Domaine de la Pépière
Granite de Clisson
Intensity, Depth, Epic Proportions
If it hasn't happened already, Marc Ollivier seems destined to occupy that rarefied space where a producer simply transcends his or her respective appellation.
Think of Huet in Vouvray, Clos Rougeard in Saumur-Champigny, Ferrando in Carema, Keller in the Rheinhessen, etc.
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Marc Ollivier of Domaine Pépière is the grand master of Muscadet. Year in and year out he produces the wines of the vintage and has attracted a large and enthusiastic following of wine geeks, who form a cult to the once-lowly Muscadet appellation.
With his first release of Granite de Clisson in 2005, Pépière continued to push past typical assumptions of what Muscadet can deliver.
If Pépière's old-vine Clos des Briords takes Muscadet close to its Platonic ideal of jagged saline minerality infused with ripe citrus, then Granite de Clisson is Burgundy-like in style: combining oceanic minerality and electric citrus with what can only be described as weightier, Chablis-like notes of honey and hay.
Clisson is an area in the southern part of the Muscadet appellation with sandy, stony granite soils. Only five percent of Muscadet's soils are composed of granite, so this is a rather rare breed.
The Pépière domaine has vines planted in other soils, but Ollivier feels strongly about the quality of his wines from granitic soils. His vines in Clisson are 60-90 years old, and the wine spends 24 months on the lees. All of this contributes to the wine's power, complexity and depth.
Pépière's 09 Granite de Clisson promises to be an impressive and worthy follow-up to this cuvée's previous vintages of 05 and 07. The conditions almost ensure the most powerful Granite de Clisson we've yet to encounter, strutting with intensity and a richly complex texture. The wine delivers a definite roundness and concentration married to a vigorous spine.
The 09 vintage delivered almost ideal conditions: a warm, sunny spring with just a touch of rain that led to a warm and dry August and September. Cool nights breathed freshness and energy into the wines. The conditions at harvest are reported to have been nearly perfect - grapes were harvested at leisure and little to no sorting of the grapes was needed.
All of this is to say that the 09 Granite de Clisson will deliver impressive power that will complement rich seafood dishes and has the structure to age for more than a decade.
To order, reply to this email or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits