Notify me
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Le Prieuré”
Prieuré de Saint Céols
Menetou-Salon is a small but mighty appellation that boasts an impressive soil loaded with fossilized oyster shells. Our group arrived at the vineyards of Joseph de Maistre after a brisk rain, so the air smelled salty and damp, as if we’d detoured from continental Loire to the Atlantic coast. Tasting his 2023 Menetou, a classic representation of the region’s lofty potential, I wondered how some appellations become more popular than others; why some get to be household names and others are relegated to “satellite” status. Joseph’s Menetou is in its own orbit. It’s peachy, finely textured, and pleasantly verdant—one of the most delightful apéritif wines I’ve tasted recently.
—Jane Augustine
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2023 |
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

2020 Vin de France Blanche
France | Loire
This lithe and expressive “orange” wine is an ideal palate-opener with a dry, cleansing finish and a fresh, cooling effect like coastal sage and seaspray.

2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
France | Loire
The new vintage shows great freshness and brightness, making me think of tart berries picked in the forest just a touch below full ripeness.

2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
France | Loire
Unique in its combination of honeyed richness and flinty verve. Hard to resist on its own, but you might also try serving it with salty-sweet yakitori or buffalo chicken wings.

2023 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
France | Loire
At first, it is streamlined, saline, and full of lemon. Then the granite terroir kicks in...

2023 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
France | Loire
This racy wine is a perfect match for all types of crustaceans as well all by itself on a sunny afternoon.

2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
France | Loire
Textured, lush, full of aromatic gooseberry and passionfruit—all supported by spiny minerality.

2022 Saumur Champigny “La Foulée”
France | Loire
Made in a fruit-forward, supple, easy-drinking style with very little added sulfur.

2023 Chinon Rosé
France | Loire
Matthieu Baudry captures both youthful fruit and energizing mineral textures with this rosé.

2023 Jasnières
France | Loire
February Club Gourmand ~ Racy, slightly honeyed, exotically perfumed, and loaded with minerality, this wine is an excellent representation of how Chenin reacts to the local conditions.

2022 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.
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
2023 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2023 Sancerre
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2022 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2023 Chinon Rosé
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2015 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2023 Sancerre
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rouge
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2022 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2023 Chinon Rosé
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2015 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171