Another gorgeous cool summer night, and Betsy had me grill a mess of
clams and mussels. While I was setting them on grill I sipped a bit of
remaining '96 Baumard Savennieres, which showed richer than previous
night, though with some light oxidation.

As the shellfish came off the grill we carefully placed in a big bowl,
Betsy then drizzled with a garlic/parsley/sesame butter. Served
alongside some green beans and Crenshaw melon, with lots of bread to
sop the juice/sauce. I thought that maybe the leftover '04 Oncone
Falanghina would be a good choice considering the sauce, but a little
bit of oxidation and the inherent Falanghina nutty/bitter note seemed
to clash. A much better match was the 2004 Luneau-Papin "Domaine Pierre
de La Grange" Vieilles Vignes Muscadet. Lighter-styled Muscadet, with
a fresh seabreeze nose and a pleasantly crisp citrus bite. I enjoy this
more than a previous bottle - it's different than the Pepiere I love,
but close to equal in quality. There's a seashell/calcium quality to
the finish, very nice with the food (I thought the butter/garlic might
be too much, but fine actually). B++

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

Thanks for your note, Dale,

I was a bit worried for my next visit to the Loire Valley next october,
considering that 2003 was not a great vintage and I had not many news on
the 2004. I travelled around Savennieres last year and it rained all the
week I stayed there (with many vignerons picking that days).

Since this Pierre de la Grange is usually available at one of the shops I
usually shop, I think it is time to buy a few bottles to see how it
develops in the next years.

Best,

S.

Interesting. Had the exact same Muscadet on Friday night with grilled
shrimp. Nice salty taste. Agree with the rating a high B+. I bought 4
more bottles on Saturday.


In article .com>,
"DaleW" > wrote:

> Another gorgeous cool summer night, and Betsy had me grill a mess of
> clams and mussels. While I was setting them on grill I sipped a bit of
> remaining '96 Baumard Savennieres, which showed richer than previous
> night, though with some light oxidation.
>
> As the shellfish came off the grill we carefully placed in a big bowl,
> Betsy then drizzled with a garlic/parsley/sesame butter. Served
> alongside some green beans and Crenshaw melon, with lots of bread to
> sop the juice/sauce. I thought that maybe the leftover '04 Oncone
> Falanghina would be a good choice considering the sauce, but a little
> bit of oxidation and the inherent Falanghina nutty/bitter note seemed
> to clash. A much better match was the 2004 Luneau-Papin "Domaine Pierre
> de La Grange" Vieilles Vignes Muscadet. Lighter-styled Muscadet, with
> a fresh seabreeze nose and a pleasantly crisp citrus bite. I enjoy this
> more than a previous bottle - it's different than the Pepiere I love,
> but close to equal in quality. There's a seashell/calcium quality to
> the finish, very nice with the food (I thought the butter/garlic might
> be too much, but fine actually). B++
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
> wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
> drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
> promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
>