Gerard Millet Menetou Salon 2022

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Loire Valley, France 

Farming: Sustainable

Domaine Gerard Millet is in the village of Bué in Sancerre, which is considered one of the very best villages in the appellation. The winery is currently run by Steve Millet. He oversees their 19 hectares in Sancerre and six hectares in Menetou-Salon (a notably smaller and less famous appellation compared to Sancerre). The main soil is Kimmeridgian marl and flint. Millet’s farming is sustainable and both the vineyards and the winery are certified HVE3. Millet does not use insecticides, herbicides or anti-botrytis treatments. Millet also makes both colors of Menetou, with the same care devoted to their Sancerre. Steve explains that Menetou tends to be a bit warmer than Sancerre, but his family’s vines are in a cooler part (the villages of Morogues and Aubinges), thus allowing those wines to maintain great tension. The Menetou wines are in fact quite serious, with great texture, juicy fruit and a mineral backbone providing structure. With the demand for Sancerre outstripping supply, there are a lot of mediocre examples in the market because the name itself sells. Millet is a winemaker who is wholeheartedly committed to making wines of distinctive character from this historic appellation as well as its lesser-known neighbor.