Domaine Pierre Ménard

👨‍🌾 History and Journey

• Origins: Pierre Ménard comes from a family of Angevin winegrowers. After studying agricultural engineering and gaining extensive experience abroad (Portugal at Ramos Pinto, Hungary in Tokaj at Disznókő, New Zealand, Canada, and even at Château Latour in Pauillac), he returned to Anjou in 2013.

• Creation of the estate: He began with a small parcel of 0.2 hectares of century-old Chenin planted in 1920, giving birth to the emblematic cuvée “Le Quart des Noëls”.

• Development: Gradually, he took over family vines and selected schist and loam terroirs, reaching today about 1.5 to 2 hectares.

📍 Location and Terroir

• Located in Faye-d’Anjou, at the heart of the Anjou noir, on hillsides overlooking the Layon.

• Soils mainly composed of decomposed schist, purple sandstone, and loam, giving the wines strong minerality and great aging potential.

🌱 Philosophy and Practices

• Organic viticulture: The vines are farmed organically, tended like a garden, even if certification is not systematic.

• Astronomy influence: Passionate about stars, Pierre Ménard aligns vineyard and cellar work with lunar cycles. His cuvées often bear names of planets or constellations (Pluton, Laïka, Cosmos, Orion Alpha).

• Natural vinifications: Meticulous work, without superfluous inputs, to reveal the identity of the parcels and the pure expression of the terroir.

🍇 Grapes and Cuvées

• Grapes grown: Chenin Blanc (majority), Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.

• Signature cuvées:

  • Le Quart des Noëls (centenary Chenin, mineral and deep)

  • Clos des Mailles

  • Pluton

  • Cosmos

  • Orion Alpha