Domaine de la Pépière, 2024 Update
Following on from my recent report on the latest releases from Domaine Luneau-Papin, it seems only sensible to turn immediately (well, almost immediately – I did dive back into Bordeaux with my final 2021 Bordeaux report first) to my most recent encounter with the wines of Domaine de la Pépière.
Like Luneau-Papin, Domaine de la Pépière was another of the quartet of domaines I latched onto fairly early in my personal ‘discovery’ of Muscadet, when I realised the wines of this downtrodden region were much more exciting than some sections of the wine press seemed to think.
That was still the era of Marc Ollivier, who had developed the domaine from scratch over many years, and at the time he was still running it single-handed. Tasting with Marc each year I encountered many of the domaine’s current cuvées in their prototype forms, such as the old Cuvée Eden (a name now dropped in favour of Les Gras Moutons) and the Château-Thébaud prototype when it still carried the Clos des Morines suffix (also now dropped).
Then Rémi Branger joined the team, bringing new energy and also a transition plan for Marc, who had no heirs. There was a connection; Remi’s family owned vines which Marc had rented for many years. Then, a few years later, they were joined by Gwénaëlle Croix, and the path was clear for Marc to retire. Along the way the style and quality did not change, and if anything the wines are better today than they ever have been (disregarding, admittedly, the overly soft structures found in a few recent vintages, a consequence of the warm and dry climate that now dominates).
While I know the Briords (previous Clos des Briords) is popular with many followers of the domaine, the range of crus communaux wines offered is exceptional and close to unparalleled. As evidence, I would point you to the four examples (one of which, by chance, I encounter again here) included in my recent Loire 2019 at Four Years report.
So with all this in mind I was delighted to have the opportunity to taste the latest the latest vintages with Rémi Branger, just a few weeks ago.
