Nicolas is the essential French wine merchant, with thousands of references. So when Nicolas offers us a behind-the-scenes look at his trade, it’s bound to be interesting. <\/p>\n
As part of this wine club, we took a short trip to Menetou Salon to attend a wine and food pairing lunch featuring the Menetou Blanc et Rouge cuv\u00e9e.<\/p>\n
Menetou Salon is a 465-hectare hilly vineyard planted on limestone sediments dating from the Upper Jurassic period. The appellation area covers 10 communes: Menetou-Salon, Aubinges, Morogues, Parassy, Pigny, Quantilly, Saint-C\u00e9ols, Soulangis, Vignoux-sous-les-Aix and Humbligny. <\/p>\n
The Centre-Loire region is best known for its Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.<\/p>\n
Sauvignon<\/strong> Pinot Noir<\/strong> Guided tour of Domaine de Chatenoy<\/p>\n
\nParticularly sensitive to the quality of its terroir, Sauvignon finds its finest expression in the vineyards of the Centre-Loire region.
\nOf controversial origin (Central France or Southwest France), it has characteristic bunches:
\n– cylindrical-conical in shape, sometimes winged, with very tightly packed berries, thick skin and firm, crunchy flesh.
\n– typical aromas marked by soil and climate.
\nThe character of wines develops more rapidly when they come from limestone soils.
\nThe marl and clay-silica formations produce wines that take longer to establish themselves and have better cellaring potential (2 to 5 years, or even 10 years or more).
\nThe range of aromas developed in Sauvignon Blanc wines is particularly rich and can reach new heights of complexity: the famous “gunflint” taste, but also fruity (blackcurrant, passion fruit, lychee, orange, grapefruit, guava), floral (iris, elderberry, rose, acacia, linden), vegetal (boxwood, broom, rhubarb, asparagus) and others such as musk, roasted meat.
\nSauvignon accounts for 70% of the surface area and 75% of production in the Centre-Loire vineyards.<\/p>\n
\nThe name has been known in Burgundy since the end of the 14th century, but is certainly older. Pinot Noir bunches are small and compact (pinecone-shaped), with small, tight, ovoid berries and thin, velvety blue-black skins.
\nPinot Noir juice is colorless. It is the maceration of the pellicle (which contains the colored pigments) with the juice during alcoholic fermentation that gives it its beautiful cherry-red color, discreetly tinged with violet.
\nTo express all its finesse and aromatic richness, it requires very specific production conditions due to its relative “fragility”, including a climate that is neither too hot nor too cold, and well-drained soils (limestone in particular).
\nIts scents are typical of morello cherries, violets and precious woods in young wines, and cherries in brandy, game and truffles in aged wines.
\nPinot Noir has long been cultivated in the Centre-Loire region, and today accounts for 20% of the area planted with vines. It is the only grape variety used in Sancerre, Menetou-Salon and Reuilly wines, and is blended with Gamay in Coteaux du Giennois and Ch\u00e2teaumeillant. <\/p>\n\n