2022 Domaine Pelle Menetou-Salon Morogues Les Blanchais + Ratier
The Best ‘Sancerres’ Outside Sancerre
April 3, 2024
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At the same time, as Sancerre has soared in popularity, climate conditions have severely reduced the size of its harvests. And prices have increased.
Some of the best Sauvignons around the Sancerre region come from Menetou-Salon, a twenty-minute drive to its west. The best vineyards are in the commune of Morogues. Domaine Pelle is the benchmark for all the growers there. The acme of the Pelle Domaine is their stunning single-vineyard offerings.
Ratier is a southwest-facing vineyard of Kimmeridgian marl that makes a more opulent style of wine from southwest-facing vineyards
Arguably, the best is Les Blanchais, a northwest-facing vineyard of chalk and limestone with a touch of flint. Its old vines were planted in 1966. Its wine rivals Sancerre in style and quality.
The Domaine was founded by Henry Pelle early in the last century, but his son Eric brought it to prominence. In 2009, Eric's son Paul-Henry took over. Informed by study in Burgundy and stages with Olivier Lamy and Benjamin Leroux, he brought a Burgundian sensibility to the Domaine's wines. Under his direction, its reputation has attained even greater heights.
Decanter's "20 Top rated Sauvignon Blancs in France" included the 2019 Pelle Blanchais along with the far more expensive Alphonse Mellot's rare and reserve Sancerre Generations and Lucien Crochet's Reserve Sancerre Cailloux.
2022 is a banner year for Loire whites. Its wines are vibrant, rich, and concentrated. But this is in part because the vintage is smaller. They are very forward and will show well early.
But there is little of them. We are getting only a few cases for each of Les Blanchais and Ratier this year..
2022 Domaine Pellé Menetou Salon Ratier; Very Good – Excellent
$32; Special case 323.88, (26.99)
2022 Domaine Pellé Menetou Salon Les Blanchais; Very Good – Excellent
$35; Special case 359.88, (29.99)
You can mix these two at their case prices
Arrives Friday
- Len Rothenberg
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downtown on orders more than $75;
in Greater Boston on orders more than $199
