Pierre Menard Orion Alpha Cabernet Franc 2022

Pierre Menard Orion Alpha Cabernet Franc 2022

Pierre Menard
$44.00

Grape: Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2022
Type: Red

This low-intervention red wine is a pure varietal bottling of cabernet franc produced by Pierre Menard in Anjou. The fruit marries younger vines with an old-vine plot planted sixty-five years ago at the lower part of the Clos des Mailles slope. Following a manual harvest and destemming, the grapes undergo a three-week skin maceration driven by native wild yeasts in barrels. It undergoes a natural aging process in old barrels and is bottled without fining or filtration.

It radiates a ruby color, releasing clean aromatics of fresh raspberry, red currant, and wild mountain herbs. On the palate, the medium-bodied frame is fluid and energetic, focusing on a vibrant fruit presentation with rich complexity. Fine, structured tannins provide a smooth grip that coordinates with a clean wave of natural acidity across mid-palate. Subtle notes of ground pepper and stone add depth across the core. It concludes bone-dry with excellent cellaring potential.

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.