Pierre Menard Laika Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Pierre Menard Laika Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Pierre Menard
$32.00

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2023
Type: White

Sourced from the Le Clos de la Roche vineyard in Anjou, this white wine highlights a unique sauvignon blanc expression on pure schist soils. Winemaker Pierre Menard manages the old vines planted in the early 1960s using strict biodynamic protocols to foster natural structural balance. The hand-harvested grapes are vinified with a gentle press and spontaneous native fermentation driven entirely by wild vineyard yeasts. The liquid matures in a combination of seasoned barrels, sandstone amphorae, and neutral tanks.

It displays a pale straw color, releasing a complex nose of lime zest, white peach, and a distinct flinty reduction. A sleek, medium-bodied frame pairs orchard fruit flavors with a chiseled mineral undercurrent that mimics chenin blanc. A racy vein of natural acidity cuts directly through the slightly waxy texture, keeping the mouthfeel lively. Subtle layers of marine salinity add structural focus across mid-palate volume. It concludes with a bone-dry, lingering finish.

Pierre Menard grew up in a winemaking family in Anjou. He went on to study winemaking in Angers and to work stints in Pauillac at Chateau Latour, in the Duoro, Canada, New Zealand and in Tokaj, Hungary.

When he returned home to Anjou, he began farming a few rows of his family’s old vine Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc. Traditionally his parents sold the grapes from all 13 hectares of their vines to a cooperative, but they agreed to let him keep some for his own project. In 2013, while still in his twenties, he bottled a miniscule number of bottles in a garage turned wine cellar. This inaugural vintage was received with great critical acclaim and a rising star of Anjou was born. Since then, Pierre has expanded his holdings to more than 1.5 hectares, all farmed biodynamically. He makes several bottlings of Chenin Blanc from these old vines, all dry.

Hand harvesting, gentle pneumatic pressing, fermentation, and aging in a combination of used barrels, sandstone amphora, and tank.