Pierre Menard, Clos Mailles, Anjou

pale gold, honeyed and lemony nose, light spritz initially, good acidity. Feels less good than 2022 at this stage though.

This opens shy, the aromas a bit restrained, the fruit sitting just beneath the surface. There’s quiet substance ready to explode - apple skin, guava flesh, a squeeze of lime, all carried on a bright wave of acidity. A kind of satin tension that builds slowly into the finish. The mix of four different vessels for ageing seems to have layered nuance rather than flavour, giving breadth to this incredible Chenin.

N: minéralité, tarte tatin, pomme très mûre, poire Conférence B: grasse, sapide, très bel Eq sur une magnifique tension, multi-layered, très long, finale saline, beaux amers

Net, ample, salin, mais un rien simple à mon goût, très chenin « jeune », qui cause peu au nez mais va droit au but en bouche. Devrait gagner d’ici 1 an…