2019 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Granite de la Clisson

Tasted blind. Certified AB organic. 50-year-old vines from a 3-ha vineyard on granite. Hand-picked. Two years on lees in underground concrete vats. RS <1 g/l. This smells gorgeous. Comes flaring nostrils and prancing out of the glass. Burnished pears, quince, rich and yet reverberating. A nuttiness carved into a savoury framework, even a touch toasty. Shortbread and lavender with a real fieriness – kind of like Sichuan pepper or warm paprika spice – but the extravagant richness and power of this wine lies in its glowingly bodacious fruit. Grilled apricots and preserved ginger root. Long and lingering. Absolutely stunning. (TC)