2023 · Le Clos des Mailles Chenin

Pierre Ménard is a family-owned boutique estate in Anjou, Loire Valley, run entirely by Pierre Ménard. Working biodynamically and organically, with organic certification noted, he hand-picks grapes through multiple vineyard passes and makes very limited, terroir-expressive wines from Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Key parcels include the near-century-old Chenin Blanc “Le Quart des Noëls” and 50-year-old “Clos de La Roche” Sauvignon Blanc on schist soils. His wines are produced with slow pneumatic pressing, low-intervention methods and extended barrel ageing, alongside occasional sweet wines from botrytis-affected grapes. Ménard studied winemaking in Angers and abroad and oversees the vineyard and cellar work himself. The domaine began in 2013 with an inaugural vintage from a garage cellar that quickly attracted critical acclaim.