WTN: Three Loire favorites and a Pfeffingen

<ul type='square'><li><b>2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Clos des Allees</b><i> - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine (9/10/2007)</i><br>Going from strength to strength. White floral notes, sea breeze, shells, general satisfaction. Thanks to Fla Jim whose notes prodded me to pick up a second case when these were about $8 -- even then, I don't think it's enough.</li>
<li><b>2005 Pfeffingen Ungsteiner Herrenberg Scheurebe Spätlese</b><i> - Germany, Pfalz (9/10/2007)</i><br>In your face, funky, and bursting at the seams with exotic, tropical fruits and spices. If you like that sort of thing, which I do. </li>
<li><b>2006 Domaine de la Pepiere (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine</b><i> - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine (9/9/2007)</i><br>Very, very nice as usual, if a bit more fulsome. It's more powerful than I'm used to while remaining its intensely mineral self. Didn't quite live up to the bottle at a recent offline, but I think that had more to do with context and the other wines than this bottle.</li>
<li><b>2004 Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal</b><i> - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil (9/8/2007)</i><br>Dominated by a screetchy acidity on opening. It filled out a bit with air -- though we didn't give it nearly enough. Breton tends to be one of the few "purple" wines I consistently love; this version tends more to black fruits. With time, lead pencil and tobacco also emerged. This doesn't have the immediate appeal of the 2002, but I wouldn't write it off, either.</li></ul>

2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Clos des Allees France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine (9/10/2007) Going from strength to strength. White floral notes, sea breeze, shells, general satisfaction. Thanks to Fla Jim whose notes prodded me to pick up a second case when these were about $8 -- even then, I don't think it's enough

And how. Great stuff huh.

But it doesn't age as long as the Le L d'Or?

But it doesn't age as long as the Le L d'Or?

Rahsaan,
Although I haven't a great deal of experience with aging these, I have not been able to find evidence that one ages longer/better than the other. If I understand correctly, L d'Or is a blend, Allees a single vineyard. Why one would be more likely to age longer is not something I can figure.
Best, Jim

I've been able to pick up a few of the older L d'Or bottlings that Chambers has brought in but, like Jim, have never had the Allées with more than a couple of years. I don't see why the Allées would have trouble developing either. At our current rate of consumption, however, I will not likely find out!

Why one would be more likely to age longer is not something I can figure.

Yes, me neither. Although stores around the world seem to have all sorts of stocks on older vintages of Le L d'Or but not so for Clos des Allees, so I was wondering. Perhaps they just make more Le L d'Or.

Yes, me neither. Although stores around the world seem to have all sorts of stocks on older vintages of Le L d'Or but not so for Clos des Allees, so I was wondering. Perhaps they just make more Le L d'Or.

Curious. I dunno about that. I initially screwed up the food match with the Clos des Allées, thus the Pfeffingen, and put most of the bottle back in the fridge. We don't usually have leftovers, but, on day two, this was singing. I can't really say it was better, because it was so good to begin with. But the acidity mellowed and it picked up a creamy richness it didn't have to start.