Domaine Henry Pellé Sancerre and Menetou-Salon, Loire Valley

Menetou-Salon lies about 30km southwest of Sancerre at the eastern end of the Loire Valley. It is a surprising fact that the wines are less well-known than those of Sancerre given that they are often the equal in quality. The whites are made from Sauvignon Blanc, the reds and rosés from Pinot Noir. The very modern Henry Pellé winery is located in the picturesque village of Morogues which is just east of Menetou-Salon. Their vineyards are on chalky soils with marl and oyster shells. They have 20ha in Menetou-Salon and another 4ha in the western extreme of Sancerre. Anne Pellé has run the domain since 1995 and Julien Zernolt is the enologist. They are able to practice organic viticulture, green harvest to control yield and use a pneumatic press to gently release the juice. Their whites are fermented in neutral vats using native yeasts and the wines are kept on their lees until bottling. The reds spend a minimum of 3 months in wood. Their Morogues bottling is an assemblage from a number of their Sauvignon wines and the Domaine's flagship bottling is the single vineyard Clos Blanchais.

Sancerre 2007 "La Croix au Garde" "This is the Ingrid Bergman of Sancerres - ravishing, polished and effortlessly elegant. In great years, besides having perfect tension between acidity and fruit, the wine has a unique kind of purity and clarity, with absolutely vivid smokey/minerally flavours. Pellé himself was considered one of the masters of the Sauvignon Blanc grape, and now his family carries on, making wines that are highly admired. The Pellé estate is perhaps best known for its extraordinary, rich, dramatic Menetou-Salon, which is also where the estate is located." Karen McNeil, The Wine Bible Also available in 375 mls.

Visit Domaine Henry Pellé

All wines are available by the unmixed case to Licensees and Private Consumers, subject to availability.

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