Domaine Pellé, 2019 Update
This domaine, which has been in the hands of the Pellé family for several generations, sits on the very edge of the hamlet of Morogues, at the heart of the Menetou-Salon appellation. Today it is the young and dynamic Paul-Henry Pellé who holds sway over the 40 hectares of vines, which are two-thirds Sauvignon Blanc, and one-third Pinot Noir. The wines are serious, especially the whites; vinified in a combination of stainless steel and oak (the more worthwhile the terroir, the more oak the wine will see), these are wines which while approachable young, will age well, in a fashion that imitates some of the very best wines from the Sancerre appellation. This is something I can attest to from personal experience, having tasted more than one or two cuvées (usually from magnum, which helps) at ten years (or more) of age over the years. The top cuvées, such as Les Blanchais and Le Carroir, have shown remarkably well in maturity.
It was encounters such as these which prompted me to reconnect with this domaine, which I first profiled many years ago but which I have not managed to keep up with in every subsequent vintage. I met up with Paul-Henry Pellé last year, and found the wines as good as ever. So it was no hardship to stop by this year to take another look at the latest releases from Paul-Henry (pictured), this time including the whites from the magnificent 2018 vintage, all tasted from barrel.
The Wines
I tasted a selection of whites from the 2018 and 2017 vintages, followed by a quartet of reds from 2017 and 2015. Quality in white was very good, although the two vintages display remarkably different characteristics. Starting with the 2017 vintage, these were tense and fresh, cool with a minerally confidence. The entry-level 2017 Les Bornés, from clay, was good enough, but the wines sourced from a variety of more interesting terroirs including Kimmeridgian limestone and flinty soils provide more interest.
