Menaka

The terroir

In Malagasy, Menaka means oily. ANTOKALY gave the lot this name for what the pod becomes, a dense Planifolia where essential oils concentrate. Menaka is grown on plots with a sub-humid tropical climate, exposed to the Indian Ocean, under annual rainfall above 2,000 mm, with no true dry season. The plots are in agroforestry on wooded reliefs. Heat, sea wind and soil are what shape the matter. The vine finds its rhythm there, under the dense canopy of agroforestry: cinnamon, clove, banana, pepper, pink peppercorn and, depending on the plot, fruit trees and associated crops: mango, lychee, coconut, cacao and pineapple.

This exceptionally rich biodiversity composes the incomparable aromas of Menaka.

The expression

The opening is broad, deeply intense and woody, on sandalwood. Butter settles in, full. Roasted cocoa runs through the structure, accompanied by a note of prune. A floral base holds all the way to the finish.

Several nuances answer one another. A gourmet vanilla.

The maturation craft

Menaka enters Malagasy rosewood chests after preparation. There, the wood breathes with the pod. Rosewood regulates humidity, accompanies the woody base and lets the essential oils find their melt. Time does the rest.

The handling follows the lot. Hand, eye, nose and infusion: four readings that agree when Menaka is ready. It leaves the chest when intensity has found length, complexity and aromatic depth.

In the kitchen

A vanilla for long intensity. It supports creations where the matter has time to unfold and where length matters as much as the first note.