Up until two years ago, we had never heard of Pierre Menard. I rang up a few Loire Valley fanatics and they, too, had never heard of Pierre Menard—except for one. And he couldn’t stop talking about them, especially when he found out I had access to a small trove! Accordingly, our little trove of ’17 “Clos des Mailles” cruised in and out of our warehouse without pause back in 2019, and then we spent a good portion of 2020 trying to secure the next vintage. We failed, but this new 2019 more than makes up for the loss. In case you missed out the first time, read on to reveal this mystery man of the moment. 

Pierre is a Loire Valley avant-garde who studied agronomy and made wine on three continents before returning to his home deep in Anjou some eight years ago. He immediately went to work securing two hectares of family-owned vines and from them started crafting a few micro-batch bottlings of biodynamic, soul-rattling whites that rarely see our shores. Today’s comes from the tiny walled vineyard of “Mailles,” and it’s farmed 100% naturally, raised with little-to-no intervention in mature French barrels, and bottled without fining or filtration. As a result, the crystalline purity, unique savor, and mind-blowing textures of bone-dry Chenin Blanc are abundant in every sip. Quantities are EXTREMELY limited. 

After graduating from Angers’ prestigious school of agronomy, Pierre set his sights on making wine—but not yet in his home region of Loire Valley. First, he traveled to New Zealand, Canada, and Hungary. It was only after learning about the nuances of winemaking in these unique places that he felt it was time to return home. So, in 2013, his parents, who farm their own small patchwork of vineyards, gifted him two hectares and Pierre immediately went about farming his vines biodynamically. Today’s “Le Clos des Mailles” is a tiny parcel of quarter-century-old Chenin Blanc vines located at the highest section of this walled vineyard. The grapes were handpicked and then gently pressed into neutral French barrels. Over the course of 10 months, the wine naturally fermented and aged on their lees before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Pierre Menard’s 2019 “Le Clos des Mailles” is a brilliant case study on just how mesmerizing the chameleonic Chenin Blanc can be: there’s incredible tension here, layers upon layers of mellow/slightly oxidized fruit, beguiling earthy/savory notes, and atomized minerals that seem to have sprung from this special site’s unique schist terroir. The nose reveals bruised yellow apple and apricot, quince, Mirabelle plum, Asian pear, lemon curd, lime blossoms, damp herbs, fennel, chamomile, and enticing notes of spice that are emphasized by the wine's deep, fully energized spirit. I pulled the cork 30 minutes before consuming and poured into all-purpose stems around 55 degrees and it was perfect. But, the real treat came when I revisited this wine the following day—it was singing. Really, it had evolved into an entirely new creature. It was more savory and exotic, all while retaining Chenin Blanc’s signature acidity. Its longevity immediately made me think of Nicolas Joly’s rarefied Coulée de Serrant, which can still hold its own many days after being open. There are few producers in the world who can pull this off and the fact that Pierre Menard has figured it out in under a decade is mindblowing. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Cheers!