Philippe Gilbert, 2025 Update
After yesterday’s deep dive into the world of Pouilly-Fumé, I thought today I should turn my attention to an alternative source of Central Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. Not from Sancerre though – that would be far too obvious. Instead I head to what is arguably the leading domaine in the Menetou-Salon appellation (to be honest here are only a trio of contenders for the title), Domaine Philippe Gilbert.
The wines of this domaine have given me much pleasure over the years. For a long time Philippe had an active importer bringing his wines into Scotland, and his entry-level white Menetou-Salon was listed at a number of Edinburgh restaurants. It was often the wine I would choose to (before I then chose what I might eat – I assume this is normal behaviour?). And last year, refuelling after the Trail de Sancerre at C’heu L’Zib, I was delighted to find the wine list dominated by Menetou-Salon – although given the fact that the restaurant sits in the centre of the town of the same name, at the heart of the appellation, I should not have been surprised. At the top of the list were a selection of the best cuvées and best vintages from Philippe Gilbert.
No need to tell you what I drank that evening.
Post-trail, with Menetou-Salon swimming in my veins, I slept well that night.
Having said that, all these comments relate exclusively to the domaine’s white wines. In recent years, conditions have often been not always conducive to the production of fresh white wines, and in many such vintages the potential in red has been higher. Tasting with Philippe earlier this year, it became apparent that this potential was realised chez Philippe. This is a rare Central Vineyards tasting report in which the red wines take centre stage.
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