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In the Heart of AOC Bas Armagnac, the Domaine de Menard is situated on the famous Via Podensis, a road taken for centuries by pilgrims who are going to Saint Jacques de Compostelle. The vineyard is established on a premium and ancestral terroirs. Indeed, plots are situated on a geologic marine site where you may find many fossils in vine rows. On the clay and limey soil, less deep and stony, Domaine Moulines produces dry white wines with Colombard, Ugni blanc and Sauvignon. On sandy and deep soil, Petit and Gros Manseng bunches are harvested lately, so as to produce our sweet wines with an exceptional finesse. The story of this estate begins in 1920; when Jean Fran?ois Morel, a Swiss vintner, settled in Gascony to grow wine grapes. At the time, there was about 23 acres of vineyards. Denise, his daughter and her husband Jean Jegerlhener settled in the estate in 1960, built the cellar and expanded the vineyard. Their son Philip joined the team and devotes his time fully to manage the vineyard. Now run by their daughter, Elizabeth and her husband, Henry, the estate is about 250 acres. The Domaine first bottled its wine under their own name in 2003 and now have production upwards of 55,000 cases. Our selection comes from the ancient wine producing area of the Herault. In 600 B.C. wine was already flowing from the Herault region, courtesy of the Greeks who came and planted vines. These vines were well tended in turn by the Romans, and are still well-tended today, producing distinctive quality wines that have gained a well-deserved reputation across the wine world. Here is a lovely and richly appointed Chardonnay with minimal oak treatment to showcase the nuanced flavors of the grape. The stony, rocky soil is in evidence as the dust and chalk components show through the layered peach and nectarine fruit. A class act all the way to match with crab salad or lobster mac and cheese. August 2012 Limited Series Newsletter (.pdf) |
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