Les Bêtes Curieuses, 2021 Update
I was delighted to be reminded recently of the quality of the wines made by the two Jérémies, namely Jérémie Huchet and Jérémie Mourat, of Les Bêtes Curieuses. As keen Muscadet drinkers will already known, the former Jérémie runs a family domaine which incorporates several distinct estates, with vines in several of the region’s new cru communal zones. The latter Jérémie is best known for the huge range of wines he makes from his family’s domaine in the Fiefs-Vendéens appellation. The two met by chance some years ago at the London Wine Fair, and from this serendipitous encounter this project Les Bêtes Curieuses was born.
Although the two Jérémies produce two entry-level cuvées, a straight Muscadet named La Perdrix d l’Année, and an early-release primeur cuvée named Le Lapin de 6 Semaines, the real interest here is the range of four cru communal wines in the Clisson, Gorges, Château-Thébaud and Goulaine crus. In this report I take a look at three of the four, the current releases, which hail from the 2014 and 2017 vintages.
The Wines
The youngest cuvée here is the 2017 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson, which shows a very tense, upright and mineral infused character, with a firm bitterness and acid frame. It is youthfully reticent at present, and it strikes me as a slightly sulky cuvée which would be best left in the cellar for a few years. Despite being three years older the 2014 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Château-Thébaud presents a similarly reticent style, medium-bodied but driven forward by its acidity.
