Domaine de Loye Menetou-Salon 2019

A decade ago, great Sancerre was available in good supply at $20. Today? We have to cut the deal of the century to get Sancerre to $25 and under. The best ones start at $30 and very quickly escalate from there.

Fantastic for our friends growing grapes in Sancerre but I’m stubborn, I am always looking for a better deal. As you know, to find value in any wine growing region, you have to get off the beaten path.

So in January of 2019, I did just that, driving south and west from Sancerre and the Loire River to the gently rolling hills of Menetou-Salon. The best of our visits that day was with Valentin Moindrot of Domaine de Loye, an irresistibly happy guy whose wines will make you feel just about the same way!

His laser-like Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, crystalline and quite “electric”, delivering tremendous bang for your buck, putting to shame most Sancerre that generally start at $30.

Valentin’s dad founded the estate in 1970 with vines his grandfather planted in the ‘50s. These old vines are rooted in deep limestone, and dry, limestone-infused clay. Valentin says the limestone imparts the fine aromatics and crisp tension you find in his wine while the old-vines and clay, providing a creaminess in the mid-palate, creating an incredibly balanced summer white.

The newly released 2019 Menetou Blanc is loaded with aromas and flavors of white flowers, lime-blossom and citrus fruit. The mid-palate is generous, just great fruit and it finishes long and fine.