Philippe Gilbert Menetou-Salon Rouge 2022 750mL

FRANCE : LOIRE VALLEY : MENETOU-SALON

BIODYNAMIC : Pinot Noir

LIGHT-MEDIUM BODIED, RED CHERRY, LEATHER, CHALKY MINERALITY, NEUTRAL OAK

Menetou-Salon sits directly west of Sancerre, sharing the same Kimmeridgian limestone and clay — the formation responsible for Chablis' minerality and Centre-Loire's characteristic chalk. Same soil, same grapes, roughly a third the price.

Philippe Gilbert's family has farmed Les Faucards since 1768 — nine generations on the same Kimmeridgian ground. His grandfather helped petition for the AOC designation in 1959. Philippe converted to biodynamics upon taking over in 1998 (Biodyvin-certified); fermentation is spontaneous, élevage passes through 90-hl tronconic wood — functionally neutral at that volume — before a second winter in cement. Total SO₂ at bottling: 40 mg/L.

2022 was called "maybe the best in thirty years" by the BIVC's technical director — early harvest on August 25, optimal ripeness, and the ripe strawberry-cherry character the region delivers in warmer years without sacrificing the chalky freshness that makes Menetou-Salon Pinot worth the trip past the Sancerre shelf.

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