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Mentou-Salon is the name of a quaint country village about 20 minutes southwest of Sancerre. The production is 80% white wine from Sauvignon Blanc and 20% red, from Pinot Noir. Since Mentou-Salon is on the same side of the Loire River as its more famous neighbor Sancerre, it shares same fossil rich soils (called Kimmeridgean limestone) yet gives a wine with its own unique personality. Domaine de Chatenoy is owned by Pierre Clement, whose family have been winegrowers here since 1560 (14 generations). The Clements own some of the finest hillside vineyards in the appellation.
The Domaine de Chatenoy Mentou-Salon Blanc is an amazingly vivid wine, bursting with aromas of citrus, white peach and flowers. On the palate, it has good concentration, with flavors of red grapefruit, apricot, and minerals. In her A Wine and Food Guide to the Loire, Jacqueline Friedrich rates Domaine de Chatenoy an “Excellent” producer, calling his Menetou-Salon white “super.” This is must-discover wine, both for its value and vivid flavors that match perfectly with lobster and scallops, as well as river fish, white meats, vegetable pastas and rissoti.
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