Menetou-Salon

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard is located on a cuesta to the north-east of Bourges and to the south-west of the neighbouring appellation Sancerre, within the natural region of the Pays-Fort sancerrois.
• The geographical zone extends across 10 communes in the Cher département, with steeply sloping hillsides to the east and more gently rolling relief to the west.
• The geological substratum consists of a single formation from the late Jurassic period, the marnes de Saint-Doulchard of Kimmeridgian age, running along a limestone cuesta oriented west to east.
• The weathering of the marls has given rise to two soil types — calcareous brown soils and brunified rendzinas — and the vineyard closely follows the outcrop of these marls, planted in scattered patches.
• The degraded oceanic climate brings annual rainfall of between 800 and 850 millimetres, with a significant risk of frost days particularly in spring, and an open landscape exposed to prevailing westerly and south-westerly winds.

• The viticultural and arboricultural syndicate was founded in 1890 to save and reconstitute the vineyard devastated by the phylloxera crisis, and plantings were carried out significantly with so-called 'noble' varieties such as Sauvignon, Pinot noir, and Chasselas.
• The controlled designation of origin Menetou-Salon was recognised on 23 January 1959, and the vineyard covered approximately 500 hectares in 2009, two-thirds of which were dedicated to white wines.

• The white wines range from pale yellow to gold, with an aromatic profile that can combine mineral, varietal, and ripe-fruit notes such as citrus, a sensation of softness on the attack, and a certain freshness on the finish.
• The red wines, with colour of variable intensity and often dominated by red-fruit notes, combine power and finesse on a fine tannic structure and can be enjoyed young or after a few years of cellaring.
• The rosé wines display a pale pink to deep salmon hue and often combine freshness with delicate fruitiness.

• The calcareous brown soils and brunified rendzinas encourage deep root development and regulated water supply, allowing an extended vegetative cycle and optimal ripeness of the grapes.
• The aspect and sufficient slope of the plots promote the natural drainage of both water and cold air masses, enabling the vineyard to avoid frost risk and to benefit from the drying effect of the prevailing westerly and south-westerly winds.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF), JORF 30 novembre 2013
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — BIVC — Vins du Centre-Loire