. . *Mission Debriefing* . .

. . Time : 0600 Hours (Zulu)

. . Agent : White

. . Subject: MENETOU-SALON White (Sauvignon Blanc)

. . Deep Background: Pierre Clement, the owner of Domaine de Chatenoy, studied oenology in Dijon, France. His family have been winegrowers in the fabled Loire Valley since 1560. He is a 14th generation winemaker.

Neighboring Domaine de Chatenoy is rival region, the famous Sancerre. While Sancerre produces a similar style of wines, Domaine de Chatenoy wines posses a unique personality. Its wines, particularly the Sauvignon Blanc I spied while undercover there, are more covert.

. . Wine Tasting: After bribing a young vineyard worker with American chocolates, I was able to procure a bottle of Menetou-Salon White. I retreated to my forest hideyhole to open the wine. Instantly I found this Sauv Blanc to have a vivid citrus bouquet, and a rich palate of white peach, lemongrass and spring flowers. While I could not confirm it during the mission, I believe that this wine would be a perfect match for lobster and scallops. It certainly went well with the river fish that, thanks to my survival training, I was able to catch using an improvised fishing pole fashioned from pine needles, moss and a discarded coffee tin.

. . In Summary: This would be a great wine, drunk well-chilled on a summer afternoon. I think that this wine would be easy to drink on its own, and that pairing with the right foods could be somewhat challenging. It is my recommendation that recruits purchase 2 or more bottles to experiment with. Especially at current Wine Spies pricing.

: end report : : **