Varenne de Chanzé 2022

• A single site in Anjou, and a wine that makes the argument for it.
• Its length suits delicate protein: steamed egg with minced pork, or ban mian.
• Or crab, dressed very simply, with bread worth eating.

Pierre Menard makes some of the most impressive Chenin Blanc wines in Faye d'Anjou in the Loire Valley of France. He grew up in a winemaking family and his parents own several hectares of land within the Côteaux du Layon, where they farm Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes to sell to local cooperatives. Some of these vines are hundred-over years old. Within these plots of land, Pierre has isolated a few plots and started to create his own wines.

Pierre masterful creates several types of Chenin Blanc from each plot, in which he showcases the differences in the ages of the vines, soil types and location of the plots.
The grapes are harvested manually and the winemaking is low intervention, no new oak, barrels range from 1-3 years, and a slow cold fermentation that often lasts until the spring adds layers of complexity and depth.

Even though Pierre Menard has only been making wine for a few years, his wines are highly sought after and we are grateful to be working together!