2025 Domaine de la Pepiere - Muscadet Sur Lie La Pepie (750ml)

Domaine de la Pépière was founded in 1984 by Marc Ollivier in the hamlet of Maisdon-sur-Sèvre, taking its name from the old word for thirst. Ollivier became one of the region's earliest champions of chemical-free farming and terroir-driven winemaking, helping push Muscadet's reputation well beyond its old image as a simple seafood wine. Today the estate is carried forward by former protégés Rémi Branger and Gwénaëlle Croix, who farm forty-two hectares of granite-based soils and have pushed the domaine further toward biodynamic practice.

La Pépie draws on a mosaic of small parcels rather than a single vineyard, centered on ten hectares in the Clisson cru and rounded out with fruit from Château-Thébaud and a neighboring organic grower. The hand-harvested Melon de Bourgogne is pressed as whole clusters, settled briefly, and fermented spontaneously in stainless steel before resting on its lees through the winter in underground, glass-lined cement tanks, then bottled without fining or filtration.

The wine shows bright green apple and lime alongside a distinct briny, oceanic edge and a whisper of dried flowers. The palate is zesty and precise, cut by racy acidity and a lingering saline finish. It's a natural match for oysters, shellfish, or a simple goat cheese omelet.