Notify me
2022 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Cuvée des Bénédictins”
Prieuré de Saint Céols
Menetou-Salon sits on soils of Kimmeridgian marl, just like its neighbor Sancerre, as well as the vineyards of Pouilly-Fumé and Chablis. Joseph de Maistre’s “Cuvée des Bénédictins” showcases the pure and precise minerality endowed by this esteemed terroir through the lens of organically farmed Sauvignon Blanc aged in tank for one year on fine lees. This chalky white offers a combination of bright citrus with a creamy depth that is simply hard to resist.
—Anthony Lynch
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: | Vines are 22 years old, on average; 2.14 ha |
Soil: | Clay, limestone, Kimmeridgian marl |
Aging: | Aged on fine lees in stainless steel with regular batonnage for 12 months |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

2021 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
France | Loire
This is the grandest bottling of Cabernet Franc from one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers.

2023 Quincy
France | Loire
You’ll appreciate the distinctive flavor profile: born from warmer soils, it tastes of ripe, succulent citrus devoid of grassiness, while boasting the same flinty nerve as a good Sancerre.

2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
France | Loire
It fills the mouth with suspicions of honeysuckle and pulpy stone fruits, all while maintaining classic notes of iodine and sea breeze that make this the vinous equivalent of tidepooling.

2021 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
France | Loire
Germain’s reds are grand examples of the heights biodynamic wines can achieve.

2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
France | Loire
Intensely dry and mineral, the structured Les Arceaux is a bottle to pair with a meal rather than to drink as an apéritif.

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

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 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 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
France | Loire
This exquisite Muscadet is a perfect reflection of where it originates, as if it’s been sculpted by winds off the ocean and infused with hints of sea salt in the air.
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
2021 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Blanc “Pierre François Xavier Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2023 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Dyane”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Blanc “Pierre François Xavier Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2023 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Dyane”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2024 Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc “Unique”
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312