Muscadet Crus Communaux, 2013
I’ve been in Nantes for the past few days, exploring the vineyards and domaines of Muscadet. In fact I’m still here. As I write this, I’m sitting in my hotel room in the centre of Nantes; the hotel, curiously, is located in what was once the Palais de Justice (the old law courts) and it has been restored in a very sympathetic style. Once I have finished writing this brief report I will be heading downstairs to take breakfast in the criminal law court. Well, there’s a first time for everything.
The trip has been organised by InterLoire, and includes a group of about six journalists, most visiting Muscadet for the first time. Yesterday we attended a short tasting at the Maison des Vins de Nantes to introduce the group to the concept of the crus communaux, and then we visited two domaines I and all Muscadet fans know very well, Domaine Luneau-Papin and Domaine de l’Ecu. InterLoire asked the group who we should visit, and so it is perhaps no surprise that these two came out on top, as they are both well known domaines. I had voted for Domaine Brégeon, as I have been impressed by those wines I have tasted but have never had the opportunity to visit, but I suspect I was in a minority of one, and we’re not going. Another time, then.
I already reported on Luneau-Papin’s wines this year, and didn’t taste any new cuvées or vintages at the domaine, so I don’t think I will publish a new report after this tasting (although I will be updating my profile), and I will add my Domaine de l’Ecu notes to my forthcoming domaine update; this was my third bite of the 2011s, having already tasted them in February and May this year. Well, it never does any harm to revisit wines I suppose, especially when they are as difficult as those of the 2011 vintage. My tastings later today will be at domaines less familiar to me, so I will write those up separately. For the moment then, here I report on a small selection of wines tasted at the Maison des Vins de Nantes with François Robin (pictured above), of InterLoire.
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