2008 Les Haut Pémions, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine

12 December 2009

Screwcapped Selections des Haut Pémions

If Muscadet was made in New Zealand all of it would be closed with a screwcap. It is telling that to find a Muscadet closed with a screwcap is relatively newsworthy or, at least, worthy of comment. It is nearly a decade since Australia's Clare Valley Riesling producers started the screwcap revolution with a joint venture bottling in 2000. To me a delicate white like Muscadet ought not to be closed with a cork and that screwcap is probably the best closure we have at the moment for this wine. The slowness on the part of Muscadet producers to move to screwcap is in part an illustration of the conservatism of French wine producers but also an acknowledgement that investing in a screwcap bottling plant is a significant investment. It was also a significant investment for the Clare Valley producers but they agreed to work together.

This Muscadet comes from the Colchester Wine Company, whose general manager, Hugo Rose MW, describes himself as a screwcap luddite. "When I saw this Muscadet with its screwcap, a light bulb went on in my head!' It certainly means that Hugo won't need to get out his sword out to open the bottle.

This 2008 is attractively fresh with some lemony weight and mineral finish. Good as an apéritif but also worked well with some prawns as well as smoked salmon with horseradish and Greek yoghurt. This Muscadet is made by Christophe Drouard, 44690 Monnières, Tél : 02.40.54.61.26
email : muscadet.drouard@free.fr

2008 Les Haut Pémions, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine £9.95 per bottle, Essentials price per £8.45.