2013 Domaines Minchin La Tour Saint-Martin Menetou-Salon 750 ml

Sancerre & Carmen Miranda's Hat

Twenty miles west of Sancerre, Menetou-Salon quietly produces the top bargain whites in the Loire Valley. Though lesser known, the best wines of the appellation frequently go toe to toe with the top Sancerres at a FRACTION of the price.

Vineyards are planted on an ancient seabed, littered with fossils — an oyster shell here, a snail shell there. The sea life’s remains, hardened into stone and mixed with clay subsoil, provide just the right setting for Sauvignon Blanc. The resulting wines are crisp, lifted, lemony and mineral, but with a richer, textured, more exotically fruited core than their easterly neighbors. Think Sancerre crossed with Carmen Miranda’s hat.

Over the last decade, the top growers of Sancerre have pounced on the undulating hillsides of the Menetou-Salon, driving up the price of the Sauvignon Blancs from the neighboring appellation. But even as the likes of Jean-Max Roger and Henri Bourgeois lead the charge, the richest and most exquisitely mineral wines of Menetou are crafted by Bertrand Minchin at La Tour Saint-Martin.

La Tour Saint-Martin has been known as the reference point for Menetou-Salon for decades, and the Minchins’ wines from Menetou-Salon have been featured in the Hachette Guide since first planting in 1987. The Minchin family owns 42 acres of vines centered around the village of Morogues — the sweet spot of the appellation. The domaine is farmed sustainably, eschewing all chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides, and is in the process of converting entirely to organic viticulture.

When we secured 500 bottles of the 2013 La Tour St-Martin Menetou-Salon, the buzz around the office built into a roar. We all knew there isn’t a better $16 bottle of Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc to be had.

Light yellow in the glass with musky aromas of nectarine, lemon, and gun flint. The palate is beautifully concentrated and tight with a tangy, saline structure. The finish, long and punchy. Drink now but forget a few bottles in the EuroCave for a few years — you won’t believe the result. This gorgeous 2013 will age gracefully well into the early 2020s.

$25 on release. Just $16 today, exclusively on WineAccess. This is an easy case-buy … but only because we're exercising some restraint around the office and not trying to buy it all up ourselves! All orders placed today will ship next week — shipping included on 6 bottles or more.