Menetou-Salon, Cuvée Louise 2023

The domaine itself is very young, founded in 2020 by Joseph and Marie de Maistre after careers outside wine. Joseph, originally from the Centre-Loire, was inspired by his grandfather (a Cognac producer) and trained in both France and South Africa before returning home to start his own project. Rather than building from scratch, they took over two historic estates: one in Reuilly and the Prieuré de Saint-Céols in Menetou-Salon, whose vineyard history stretches back as far as 1190, when land was entrusted to monastic orders. This combination gives the winery an interesting dual identity: a new-generation producer with a fresh, hands-on philosophy, working with vineyards that are deeply embedded in Loire history and terroir.

In Menetou-Salon, the Prieuré de Saint-Céols continues a winemaking history dating back to the 12th century. Its fossil rich limestone soils are ideally suited to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, yielding wines of purity, structure and quiet depth. The 12 hectare estate here is fully organic. A precise, minimal‑intervention approach to express the unique terroir. Grapes undergo an eight‑day cold maceration to enhance fruit purity, followed by gentle fermentation in stainless steel over 10 to 15 days. The wine then matures for 12 months in terracotta amphorae, allowing refined oxygen exchange and encouraging malolactic fermentation. It is bottled unfiltered to preserve natural structure and aromatic integrity.

A distinguished Loire Pinot Noir with refined aromas of redcurrant, cherry and floral peony, layered with soft brioche and kirsch nuances. The palate is supple and harmonious with lively bright red fruit, textured depth and a long, elegant finish that lingers with plum and sun‑dried fruit complexity.

Red meats, game, fine cheeses and charcuterie

The Loire, France's longest river, is home to many much celebrated and quintessential French grapes. From the once ubiquitous-in-the-UK Melon de Bourgogne by the Atlantic coast, to the home of Sauvignon Blanc in Sancerre, via some of the world's best Chenin and crunchy Cabernet Franc, Gamay & Pinots. There is quality all around. Being at the northernly limit for winemaking, the wines are hallmarked by their crisp, fresh, crunchy fruit and high acidity, where reds may sometimes struggle to ripen and whites nearly overdeliver on acidity. The 69 appellations that make up the larger region are grouped into smaller sub-regions with predominantly single variety wines leading the way. As you move east the climate changes markedly from maritime to continental as the soils change from flint and limestone to the hard granite of central France.