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Pierre Luneau-Papin Update, February 2009

The 2009 Salon des Vins de Loire was my first chance to meet the next generation at this domaine, which until now I have always associated with Pierre Luneau-Papin and his wife, Monique. Pierre-Marie Luneau, their son, has been working with his parents on the family domaine since 2005. That was not the only novel experience at this meeting though; there were new encounters of a more vinous nature. I must admit to not being familiar with Luneau-Papin's newest cuvée, the Semper Excelsior Clos de Noëlles (often abbreviated to Excelsior), even though it was introduced as long ago as the 2001 vintage.

Pierre-Marie talked and poured, and I tasted three vintages, each one rich, broad and characterful, although I must confess in the two vintages where I also tasted the corresponding Cuvée Le L d'Or I preferred the taut minerality of the latter. Also, although I am well aware of the cellaring potential of Le L d'Or, having tasted examples from the 1990s and from the latter years of the 1980s, my experience had never before included the 1982. At 27 years of age this example of Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, sur lie naturally, was wonderfully on form; expressive, with notes of mineral honeycomb on the nose, a dense and concentrated character on the palate, and a fabulous length. This bottle completely flummoxed a group of French sommeliers who were tasting alongside me; I just found it to be delightful.

My notes from this tasting are presented here according to cuvée, in the order which I tasted them. These notes and much of what I learnt on the day can also be found in my Luneau-Papin profile, soon to be appropriately updated. (19/5/09)

Pierre Luneau-Papin, February 2009 - Tasting Notes

The wines below were tasted in Angers at the Salon des Vins de Loire in February 2009. All had been decanted. All my notes on the wines of Pierre Luneau-Papin, including those below, are collated under my Pierre Luneau-Papin profile. Click to locate stockists.

First off four brut de cuve samples, which I report on for here academic interest; it was enlightening to taste the influence of the differing terroirs here, and to see the effect of later harvest.

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Brut de Cuve Number 2 2008: An unfinished sample from a schistous terroir; good ripe and fresh minerality on the nose, a crisp style, slightly stony, slightly fat. It has good grip and bite on the palate, a really fresh and bright style, and a touch of power too. A nice sample. 16.5+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Brut de Cuve Number 3 2008: An unfinished sample from a granite terroir. A more restrained style here, but stylish in terms of fruit quality. Fine minerally acidity on the palate from the outset, with lots of lively grip, good depth of flavour and a little touch of bitterness which I like. Nice sample. 17+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Brut de Cuve Number 4 2008: An unfinished sample from a vineyard rich in serpentinite, a volcanic rock. Very firm minerality here, lively acid and very good definition, with good ripe fruit hiding underneath. Stylish. I like this wine. 17+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Brut de Cuve Number 5 2008: An unfinished sample from another serpentinite-rich site, but here with a south-west aspect, harvested 12 days later. A fuller character on the nose, ripe, sweet and aromatic. Not as lively as Number 4, richer instead, but there is still good acidity here. A fascinating comparison. 17+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Pierre de la Grange 2007: The fruit here is assembled from a number of small plots on schistous soils around the winery. The vines are young. It has a nice nose, being clean and a little minerally-steely. Nice mouthfeel too, fresh with firm acids, full style with lots of power. Good but perhaps rather fierce in its character and acid backbone. 15+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Pierre de la Grange Vieilles Vignes 2007: Obviously, the fruit from older vines. A better nose than the preceding cuvée, more expressive, with pure and bright white fruit presented in an attractive and maybe even honeyed style. The palate is broad, full, with plenty of good acidity but also more substance. Good old-vine quality here. Slightly bitter, which I like, with lots of structure, this will age well. 16.5+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Les Pierres Blanches 2007: Les Pierres Blanches is the name of the vineyard; it is a single plot of vines, aged between 55 and 60 years, with soils of mica-schist and schist. There is a good, elegant, stony nose. The palate has nice definition but is also rounded, rather polished, well balanced, with good bright acidity. I like this one. 17+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Le L d'Or 2007: Largely a granite terroir for this cuvée. This has a great, ripe, open nose, stylish and elegant, with a very satisfying character on the palate. Rounded and polished it calls to mind a creamy-white stone, with its minerality and beauty combined. Rich yet refined, this is lovely now - but clearly has great potential for the cellar. 17.5+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Le L d'Or 2005: A beautiful nose here, hugely expressive, with fabulously open fruit with a ripe and sweet but very fresh character. Great style, lovely purity, gentle and warm and rounded. It has some stony acidity although it is not quite so well defined as some of the other cuvées - the effect of a warmer vintage, perhaps? Rich but it still has a lovely style and freshness. Impressive. 17.5-18+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Le L d'Or 2003: This shows even more honeyed fruit than the 2005, with elements that only come from maturity. This is evolving nicely, showing richness and minerality combined. The palate is very attractive, a sort of sweet-stony combination, with lots of midpalate acidity for balance. This has impressive character, especially considering this was such a warm vintage. I think with time it could surpass the 2005. 17.5-18+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Le L d'Or 1999: Lots of fine, evolving character here, stony freshness and lovely ripeness combined. Gentle and composed, elegant and rounded, with maturing fruit, the palate shows a very nice integration of acidity behind the clean, maturing style. Still plenty of potential for development here, although just fine now, approaching ten years of age. 17+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Le L d'Or 1997: There is honey on the nose here, rich and minerally in its character. The palate has a lovely structure, very integrated and stylish, with a fine, honeycomb edge to the pure and stony fruit. Rounded, rich and rather better composed than some of the younger wines, with sweet fruit at the finish. A very impressive wine which is still on the way up. 17.5+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Le L d'Or 1989: Wow - a fabulous nose here, very expressive, with golden fruits just leaping from the glass, with freshness, stone and even some minerality evident in the aromatic profile. The palate is just great; broad, softening, gentle, with wonderful integration. Pure and linear, with great acids, laser-like in their precision, but with a ripe and rounded style of fruit draped on top. This has wonderful composition, rich and pure too. 18/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Le L d'Or 1982: There is unbelievable purity and life on the nose here, with fresh and unsullied aromas of honeycomb and mineral. The palate is remarkable; it has density, concentration and just stacks of characterful and expressive fruit. On the finish, this wine just goes on and on; it is remarkable! What a great example of how well Muscadet, from the right producer and the right vintage, can age. 18.5/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Excelsior 2005: This particular cuvée doesn't seem to have a very expressive nose today. On the palate it has lovely fresh acidity, nicely composed, although it has quite a ripe style, minerally with a chalky acid backbone. Quite mouthfilling in terms of weight, creamy, with a lovely acid bite at the finish. This has fine potential, although I think I prefer the L d'Or in the same vintage - just. 17-17.5+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Excelsior 2003: This is much richer and more expressive than the corresponding 2005. The palate is fine, superbly defined despite the warmth of the vintage, with a broad although very fine acidity. Elegant yet ripe, nicely balanced, with an appealing bitter finish. This is very, very good indeed. 17.5+/20

Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Excelsior 2002: This has a finely muted nose in comparison to the preceding wines. nevertheless the palate shows some lovely substance, quiet full and broad, with a ripe substance. The acidity is fresh and attractive, although a little muted related to its peers. There is a good stony edge though, nice ripeness, and a firm character. An attractive wine, I think this will do very well given time. 17+/20