THE HISTORY OF THE MENETOU-SALON WINE

The very ancient Menetou-Salon vineyard goes back to the first century of our era. It became one of the best wines served on the local lords' tables, especially that of Jacques Cœur, who was King Charles VII's Great Bursar. Jacques Cœur obtained the title of Lord and bought Menetou-Salon in 1450.

Because the vineyard was nearly entirely destroyed by phylloxera in the late 19th century, it was planted again with Sauvignon and Pinot Noir varieties, which easily adapt to our climate and soil.

In 1890, a winegrowers' union was formed and Menetou-Salon obtained the title of "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" in 1959..


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The terroir of Menetou Salon

   

A150-million-year old subsoil

In the Heart of France, about 11 miles away from Bourges, on the calcareous clay hillsides, the vineyard is planted on a kimeridgean subsoil (limestone sediments) with two of the most prestigious grape varieties: Sauvignon and Pinot Noir

 

Cult and Respect of nature
A perfect knowledge of our land linked with our deep respect of nature.

The CHAVET estate is located in the very heart of the "Controlled Appellation"- the MENETOU SALON village -

The quality of our wines arises from the harmonious blend between what nature gave us and our work.
This is why we have been the first winegrowers in our appellation who chose to practice the " vendange verte " (i.e., green harvest) that is, to bring the yielding down by cutting the surplus of bunches.
Our parcels are greencovered to preserve the life in the soil and prevent erosion. We have been the first estate in the Centre-Loire vineyards who were granted both qualifications for all our practices: "AGRICULTURE RAISONNÉE" (the only qualification given by the French Ministry of Agriculture) and "QUALI'TERRE" (provided by the Chamber of Agriculture).
We only harvest when our grapes are perfectly mature and further to a series of analysis completed by a certified laboratory. Our grapes are healthy because of these methods and a permanent technical follow-up.