Notify me
2022 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
Prieuré de Saint-Céols

Marie and Joseph de Maistre

The Menetou-Salon appellation

Joseph de Maistre
I did a double take after my first sip of Joseph de Maistre’s scintillating Sauvignon Blanc from Menetou-Salon. This is from the Loire? My tasting notes included words like “silky” and “voluptuous.” While the hallmarks of Loire Sauvignon Blanc, like structure and minerality, are present, the level of ripeness and sheer deliciousness really stood out. An exciting debut from our newest Loire producer.
—Dustin Soiseth
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Menetou-Salon |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Prieuré de Saint-Céols |
Winemaker: | Joseph de Maistre |
Vineyard: | Planted in the 1990s; 9.86 ha |
Soil: | Clay, limestone, kimmeridgian marl |
Aging: | Aged on fine lees with regular batonnage for 12 months |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

2023 Vouvray “Les Fondraux”
France | Loire
The contrast of ripe, succulent Chenin Blanc fruit with a spike of flinty minerality is like licking honey off an arrowhead.

2023 Sancerre
France | Loire
Textbook Sancerre: bright and citrusy, with a clean, stony finish.

2023 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
France | Loire
Delicate, precise, and succulent at the same time, this beautiful blanc will pair well with fresh seafood and light summer salads and pastas.

2023 Cheverny
France | Loire
Sauvignon and a splash of Chardonnay: the epitome of minerally Loire refreshment

2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
France | Loire
Fine, with bright acid, sleek silkiness, and great length, it is the most elegant of all of Thierry’s red wines.

2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
France | Loire
From a small but mighty appellation boasting an impressive soil loaded with fossilized oyster shells. Peachy, finely textured, and pleasantly verdant.

2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
France | Loire
Germain’s reds are grand examples of the heights biodynamic wines can achieve.

2023 Sancerre
France | Loire
An intense exotic nose lures you in before the minerality channels the lightning energy of this pure Sauvignon Blanc.

2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
France | Loire
Redolent of almonds, honey, and a wide range of citrus, this kaleidoscopic Chenin finishes with a faint tannin, making it ideal alongside sushi, roast chicken, or a hard and flavorful cheese like Comté.

2021 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
France | Loire
Showing off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form, rife with aromas of roses, damp earth, and little red berries.
About The Producer
Prieuré de Saint-Céols
Located just southwest of Sancerre, Menetou-Salon is home to over 600 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Little Menetou is exported relative to nearby Sancerre, yet its vineyards enjoy the same climate and distinguished soils of Kimmeridgian marl as its neighbor. Having grown up in the region, Joseph de Maistre was well aware of the appellation’s potential, so when he learned that Prieuré de Saint-Céols was up for sale, he pounced at the chance to run a domaine with vineyards in some of Menetou’s most esteemed sites. Joseph and his wife, Marie, farm twelve hectares, nine of which are planted to Sauvignon Blanc, and they recently completed a conversion to organic viticulture. They favor low-intervention winemaking, including natural fermentations, to allow the Kimmeridgian terroir to shine through in full. Joseph’s wines are elegant and lively with excellent minerality, showcasing the qualities that led Menetou to grace noble tables in centuries past.
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2023 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2023 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2023 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Chinon
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2023 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2023 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2023 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2021 Chinon
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Gorges”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.