Finding a mustier Muscadet

Have I fallen through the hole in NYTimes.com that leads to an alternate universe? One where the Wines of the Times team sip vintages of Muscadet from the eighties and earlier? Whachou talkin' about Florence Fabricant? Her biweekly Pairings column is not a mistake. Check out Eric Asimov's intro to this week's multimedia tasting notes or read his article here.

I like the fact that even Mr. Asimov admits that an aged Muscadet is news to him. Makes me feel a little better for not having any knowledge on the subject myself. It turns out that old bottles from the mouth of the Loire are nothing new. Wine Spectator wrote about how good Muscadet -- usually the product that comes from one of the three specific appellations rather than the general "Muscadet" one -- can slumber like the legendary Riesling.

Still, I'd like it if my wine supplier was more aware of this, be it new to me or not. I see that at the LCBO in Ontario, you can buy Le Master De Donatien Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 1996. No such opportunities in Quebec, except perhaps in my fridge, where I'm happy to say the 2000 Master Donatien is in supply and all of the sudden in no rush to get opened. That is good news for someone who thinks almost every aspect of his wine collection is "drink now".

My search of the SAQ site results in no Muscadet aged more than five years while the '76, '89, and '93 vintages of powerful Rieslings are all readily stocked. It's no wonder that this story is a bit of an eye-opener. Now to get my hands on some of these bottles...