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 that we’re handpicked and then gently pressed into neutral French barrels. Over the course of one year, the wine naturally fermented and aged on its lees before it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Pierre Menard’s “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 supple fruit, beguiling earthy/savory notes, and atomized minerals that seem to have sprung from this special site’s unique schist and blue quartz terroir. The nose reveals apricot, yellow apple peel, quince, Mirabelle plum, Asian pear, Meyer lemon, citrus blossoms, pulverized herbs, root vegetables, and enticing notes of exotic spice that are emphasized by the wines deep, fully energized spirit. I pulled the cork an hour before consuming and poured into all-purpose stems around 55 degrees and it was perfection. But, the real treat came when I revisited this wine two days later (accidentally left a few ounces in the fridge!) and it was more than alive. Really, it had evolved into an entirely new creature. It was deeper, more complex, more 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 a week (even longer) 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 six short years is mindblowing. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Cheers!