Brett happens

It’s rare to see eight- or ten-year-old Muscadet in stores but both these showed up at the SAQ in February.

Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 2009, Château Thébaud Clos des Tabardières, Poiron-Dabin ($24.95, 13473915)
100% Melon de Bourgogne from 50-year-old vines rooted in granite and gneiss. Manually harvested. After pressing the must is allowed to cold-settle for 48 hours. Spontaneous fermentation in temperature-controlled (20°C max) tanks lasts three to four weeks. Matured on the lees for 84 months. Reducing sugar: 3.7 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Divin Paradis.
Complex and engaging nose of apple and chalk with hints of honey, petrol, animale and eventually dried herbs. Somewhat weighty in the mouth, the texture falling between unctuous and waxy. Diffuse fruit and minerality and low acidity leave an impression of flabbiness that extends through the bitter-edged finish. Less interesting than the nose promises. The wine has been showered with medals and 98 points from Decanter, leaving me to wonder whether our bottle was defective, not that it tasted off in any way. (Buy again? A bottle to give it a second chance?)

Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu 2007, Origine, Domaine du Haut Bourg ($27.00, 12565210)
100% Melon de Bourgogne from vines planted in 1944 and rooted in red sand, gravel and quartz pebbles over shale and amphibolite. Fermented in temperature-controlled tanks. Matured 10 years on the lees in underground vats with two or three stirrings during the first year. Reducing sugar: 1.8 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Sélections Onéo.
Pear and quince, minerals and ash upfront, then schist, dried lemon peel, wax and a hint of alcohol. Lighter and fleeter than its flightmate. Dry, minerally going on crystalline, herby, long, complex. Acidity and extract are in perfect balance. A saline thread runs throughout and a honey note lingers. Surprisingly fresh for a decade-old Muscadet. A beautiful, involving wine at its peak. (Buy again? Done!)

MWG February 8th tasting: flight 2 of 5