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Jean-Christophe Mandard L’Orbois 2023

This week’s Weekend Wine choice takes us back to the banks of the Cher, home to some leading domaines in the Touraine appellation, including Clos Roussely, Domaine de la Charmoise and Domaine Mérieau. Not to mention one or two that are no longer with use, such as the renowned Clos Roche Blanche.

Today a number of these domaines make use of the Touraine Chenonceaux appellation (or, with my pedant’s hat on, the Chenonceaux geographical denomination within the Touraine appellation… but that’s enough didacticism for one day) which has cropped up on these pages a few times during the course of the past year, principally because the wines so frequently combine character, quality and value. What’s not to like there?

Suitably enthused, in the past twelve months I have taken a deep dive into this region with my tasting report Welcome to The Jungle: Touraine Chenonceaux, penned a detailed guide to the region and wines, and featured some top examples such as the 2023 from Domaine de la Renaudie.

This week’s wine comes from another domaine situated on the banks of this Loire tributary, on the outskirts of Mareuil-sur-Cher on the south bank. Just to mix things up a little though, this is not the domaine’s Touraine Chenonceaux; instead I have chosen another of the Mandard cuvées, one which features one of the Loire Valley’s autochthonous varieties, Orbois, which is better known (albeit only slightly – and perhaps only if you are a Loire geek) as Menu Pineau.

Jean-Christophe Mandard L'Orbois 2023

A familial domaine, Jean-Christophe Mandard took hold of the reins, passed to him by his father, in 1993. Today he farms 27 hectares of vineyards, aided by his son Jean-Baptiste, who has studied in far-flung, distant and exotic lands, in other words the Rhône Valley and Bordeaux. They tend an array of varieties, although as you might expect in this corner of the Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc dominates.

Orbois, or Menu Pineau if you prefer, is one of the few true autochthones in the Loire Valley. A descendent of Gouais Blanc and one other unknown parent, presumed extinct, the variety is only encountered in this region, particularly around Cheverny and the banks of the Cher. The majority of examples I have encountered over the years have been blends (indeed it might be all of them – I struggle to think of an example of a 100% Menu Pineau cuvée other than the one featured here), such as those from Domaine de Veilloux, made within the Cheverny appellation.

Monovarietal examples are thus very rarely encountered, which makes the 2023 L’Orbois from Jean-Christophe Mandard – a pure varietal cuvée in the Vin de France category, as no appellation exists for pure Orbois wines – a superb opportunity to take a look at the variety in isolation. In the glass it presents a pale hue with a touch of onion skin to it. This precedes a very fresh, waxy, saline character on the nose, with layers of salted green pear, green olive and apple skin, with a touch of citrus freshness. The waxy concentration feels familiar, as this is also an appealing feature of the best Menu Pineau blends, but the bright, apple-and-citrus vivacity is more surprising. The palate is deliciously juicy and mouth-watering, with layers of citrus zest, apple and pear, with contrast provided by more waxy and bitter veins. It has firm acidity which is welcome in this era of increasingly bold, phenolic and low-acid Ligérian whites, giving it an appealing firm grip and energy which pervades the palate. For drinking now, although I could see this developing some real waxy interest over the next for or five years. The alcohol on the label is 13%. 91/100 (27/4/26)

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