Northern France - Southern France

Menetou-Salon is a legally delimited wine appellation adjacent to Sancerre at the eastern end of the Loire Valley. The finest Sauvignon Blanc in the world is sourced from this general area of northern France.  By contrast, Gard is an IGP (indication geographique protegee), a vin de pays level wine region, one step above the most basic quality level.  It lies in the middle of southern France just above the Mediterranean Sea.  Both of our examples for this post entered our store this week and again, perhaps to generalize too much, it's the difference between north and south in France.

The finest wines of France begin just a quarter of the way up the map with Bordeaux at 44 degrees latitude.  With the exception of the fine types from the Rhone Valley, everything else plays a second quality fiddle in the south.  Yet most of the wine made in France comes from that ribbon across the south and most of it's not bad.

We weren't familiar with Menetou-Salon before this one came in the door.  Since it was from our best supplier we kept it even though we were told it would be a Sancerre.  After just a little research, that turned out to be a good move.  Menetou-Salon may be viewed today as a westward extension of Sancerre to meet world demand. 

Our Gard example is Domaine Mas Barrau Cabernet Franc.  Its label says it is a 100% varietal Cab from a single vineyard family-run estate.  It is certified organic.  While we have no reason to doubt the claims just stated, it is marketed by a huge international wine concern and as an IGP wine, much is left non-guaranteed.  It only has to be sourced from that region with legally defined harvest limits.   

By contrast, as an AOP (appellation d'origine protogee), our Menetou-Salon must adhere to the two conditions just listed plus historic wine making processes including blending rules and alcohol content.   

Interestingly, both regions share a connection with antiquity.  In all likelihood Gard viticulture was begun by 6th century Greeks planting grape varieties originally from Greece.  The Loire Valley has monastic vineyard documentation from the 14th century that alludes to 11th century development.

So why the profound difference in the appraisal of the north vis a vis the south?  It's no surprise - The north has cooler temperatures and in this case, Kimmeridgian soils, AND protectionist wine appellation laws that keep pricing optimal.  Consequently our Cabernet Franc ends up being half the price of the pedigreed Sauvignon Blanc.               

Dollar Bills Only

So here's what we were told - Patricia Green Cellars had a bad vintage in 2020 (smoke) and rolled all of their single vineyard pinots into one wine, labeling it "Dollar Bills Only."  While our information was generally correct, we can now flesh it out a bit.

Patricia Green was one of the giants in the Oregon pinot business.  She passed away in 2017 and Patricia Green Cellars is now in the hands of her business partner/winemaker, Jim Anderson.  While we have sold their wines in the past, we didn't know how large and rarefied their production was.  If you go to patriciagreencellars.com you will learn that they are the largest producer of bottles of Pinot Noir in the country.  You will also see more than a dozen single vineyard pinots advertised for up to $300/btl.  

Patty Green had a great reputation in this business, by the way.  Her wines were not manipulated to meet what the market expects.  She took what the vineyard gave her and didn't intervene to reconfigure the stuff.  If you look at the color of the wine in the glass it will be the correct garnet or cherry red color, not a darker hue betraying adulteration.

In order to make Dollar Bills Only, Patricia Green Cellars declassified pinot juice from five vineyards; Estate, Freedom Hill, Ridgecrest, Wind Ridge and Risdahl Ranch/Shafer.  We are inclined to think the remaining properties at her disposal were written off due to the smoke taint.  This limited pedigreed fruit was made into a "silky, layered, juicy and pure, ripe cherry and wild berry-flavored" finished product.  Tellingly, the wine's complex fruit and spice flavors build and improve in the glass ending in a long lasting finish.  My mentor would have approved.

Lumpy's is a dive bar in the town of Dundee in the Willamette Valley.  The juke box there has a sign on it saying, "Dollar Bills Only" and that image is reproduced on the wine label.  The significance is meant as a statement about making the best of a bad situation.