Loire
Valley vineyard is located in N-W France, from the Atlantic coasts to
the Lyon city's gates. We are talking about 160618
acres of vineyard (almost like in spanish
Rioja) dedicated in its half to white wine (there it is included dry,
on lees, semi-dry and liqueur). A quarter of this vineyard will
produce red and in smaller quantity (but not less important) rosés and
sparkling wines.
Climatically,
if we have to label this area, we would use the adjective
'temperate',
why? Because the Loire River and its affluents create a special
micro-climate that led to settle there first monks, then royal
dynasties and finally the bourgeoisie. Naturally each sub-zone has
its own character, from more continental to more oceanic as we
approach the Atlantic.
As
to grape varieties are concerned, we are going to find a great
spectrum including native cépages. In white the kings is the
'Chenin' or 'Pineau de la Loire', of great versatility. In the
most oceanic area we have the 'Melon de Bourgogne' and the
'Folle Blanche'. Best known are the 'Sauvignon' and the
'Chardonnay' (there called 'Auvernat'). The 'Romorantin'
(in Cour-Cheverny), the 'Tressalier' (in Saint-Pourçain),
'Chasselas', 'Sauvignon Gris', 'Malvoisie', 'Aligoté' or the 'Pinot Gris' are worked in smaller quantities.
With the red varieties
can be elaborated rosé wines, young red wines, 'primeur'
wines and aged wines. 'Cabernet Franc' is very present not
only in the Loire but in all the French west contributing with red
fruit, pepper and piracines hints to the wine. With the 'Gamay'
and the Grolleau, young light red and rosé wines are produced.
The 'Pinot d'Aunis' (or Chenin Noir) is seen in the central
course of the Loire being a native variety with the 'Grolleau'
(or Groslot). There are also Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec (Côt) or S-W France varieties like 'Négrette'.
CENTER
Eclipseed by the
Beaujolais and northern Rhône wine region there is <<
Center
>> sub-region . This vineyard has four very young denominations
(the majority created after 1994). On the Loire river banks,
on its upper course and on the Allier river banks are produced red,
white and rosé wines (these last two
much less ). As a curiosity Côtes
d'Auverge denomination
have 5 sub-denominations and the white variety 'Tressalier' own of Saint-Pourçain
denomination.
We
follow the Loire river where with more acres are the denominations
Sancerre
(7413) or Pouilly-Fumé
(3335) both with the Sauvignon Blanc (like AOP Quincy)
Another essentially white
vineyard is Pouilly-sur-Loire
(with the Chasselas as main grape variety). To find a 1oo% red wine denomination, you have to order
Orléans-Clery wines
based in Cabernet Franc. The rest of denominations are balanced in wine color terms, based on Chardonnay, Chenin, Sauvignon (gray and
white) or Pinot Noir and Gamay in red.
TOURAINE
We
arrived at the central course of Loire river with a prestigious
sub-region such as << Touraine
>>, with its most popular wines from
Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire provinces. It distinguishes Touraine
denomination (9884 acres and 6
sub-denominations).
This AOC Touraine, born in 1939, can produce white (mostly), rosé,
red, 'primeur'
red and sparkling wine.
The
other heavyweights of the Touraine vineyard are Vouvray
(5436 ac with the Chenin as king producing
dry, semi-dry and sparkling wines), Chinon
(5930 ac devoted mostly to red wine) and
between 2471-3700 acres other two areas devoted to reds Cabernet
Franc based on: Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
and Bourgueil
(pronounced / bug-goi /).
But
to avoid a mess we are going to divide the Touraine vineyard into 3
zones from south to north: the left bank of the Loire, the right bank
and the vineyard of the Loir river (a Loire affluent). On the left bank
we start with Cheverny
and Cour-Cheverny
denominations producing whites Romorantin grape variety based wines.
At
the Tours (Towers) city gates we continue with the AOC Valençai
and with almost half of AOC Touraine sub-denominations, the AOC
Chinon
and the AOC Montlouis
(of great interest because, dedicated to Chenin blanc, it produces
wines of great quality).
The
right bank rivals, in some cases, with the other side of the river
areas, such as Montlouis (left margin) against Vouvray (right
margin). Vast vineyards are located on this side of the Loire
(Bourgueil, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil) and, to slipstream, the
sub-denominations Touraine-Mesland
and Touraine-Amboise.
More
to the north ( Sarthe and Loir-et-Cher provinces) there
are 3 small denominations of between 123 and 197 ac, where white wine
predominates. From east to west they are: Coteaux-du-Vendômois,
Jasnières (100% Chenin blanc based) and Coteaux du Loir.
ANJOU-SAUMUR
<<
Anjou >> or << Anjou-Saumur
>> sub-region is the other prestige great area of the Loire
valley. Here we will find great rosé wines, great liquor wines, reds
full of vivacity, effervescent (white and rosé) and still whites
wines.
The
viticultural titan is the AOC
Cabernet d'Anjou, with 13096 acres for the semi-dry rosé based on the two Cabernets. Do not
confuse with Rosé d'Anjou denomination , which half of acres,
more red varieties available and basing its difference on the amount
of minimum legal residual sugars. The 'primeur rosé' is another
specialty worthy of mention. The third rose wine monster is the Rosé
de Loire denomination
(covers 5 provinces with its 2718 acres dedicated to the dry rosé).
It
shares the same production area but with less acres of vines the
AOC Anjou,
which extends 90% on the left bank of the Loire river. This left bank
also has the vineyard of Anjou
Villages
and Anjou
Villages Brissac both
two 100% red (2 Cabernets). The other denominations that only
produce red are Saumur-Champigny
and Saumur
Puy-Notre-Damme
(each one with 3706 acres with the Cabernet Franc as king).
Vineyard
rich in liqueur and semi-dry wines: we have the Coteaux
du Layon appellation since 1950, which can
be completed with 7 sub-denominations since 2011 (all 7 producing
liqueur wine based on Chenin). Other similar denominations without
leaving Maine-et-Loire
department are Coteaux de l'Aubance
(494 ac), Savennières (321 ac on the right bank) with its neighbors Coulée
de Serrant (AOC in 2015) and Savannières
Roche aux Moines (17 and 74 ac
respectively). The liqueur and semi-dry wine weight based on Chenin
Blanc is guaranteed with more names such as Coteaux de Saumur,
Anjou-Coteaux de la Loire, Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru
(all of them with less than 247 acres each).
There are 3
denominations susceptible to produce effervescent wine in
Anjou-Saumur region and are: 'Crémant de Loire', 'Anjou' and 'Saumur
Mousseux' (these last two are AOC since 1957)
Crémant
de Loire: 3700 acres covering a wide variety of soils. It can produce sparkling
white (based on Chenin white and Chardonnay) or rosé (with the two
Cabernets and the red Chenin also known as Pinot d'Aunis).
Anjou:
great denomination by size (4942 acres) and by versatility (whites,
reds, 'primeur' reds and sparkling wines whose production is
small).
Saumur
Mousseux: 3700 acres
planted south of Saumur city and on the Thouet river banks. Great soil varieties with limeston (tuffeau) predominance.
PAYS NANTAIS
The
final stretch of Loire river with axis in Nantes
city is the environment of a vineyard mostly white but also with reds
and rosés wines. The left bank concentrates the bulk of the vineyard
and mix almost a dozen denominations. One of its particularities is
the white variety 'Melon
de Bourgogne'.
We
find the three colors in the Coteaux
d'Ancenis (which accepts the mention
'Malvoisie' when the Pinot Gris variety is 100%) and Fiefs
Vendéens denominations (further away from
the Loire river and with 1136 ac dispersed in the Vendée
province). Another "remote" AOC from the Loire river is Haut-Poitou (with 1729 ac where there are Sauvigon blanc and gray,
Pinot Noir, Gamay, Merlot and much Cabernet Franc), in the Vienne
province.
The
denomination's aggregate that produce white wine almost surrounds
Nantes city. Stand out by size the 14826 acres in Muscadet
Sevre et Maine (whose
queen variety is not the Muscat but the Melon de Bourgogne). This AOC
can be completed by 3
village mentions that
indicate not only the specificity of the terroir but a lower yield
per hectare (maximum 55 hl / acre without the mention and maximum 45 hl
/ acre when MSM is followed by a communal mention).
With
about 7413 ac of variety Melon vineyard is the AOC Muscadet,
which can benefit of 'primeur' or 'nouveau' nmention if it goes on
sale from the third november Thursday following the harvest. With 1729 ac and vineyards overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the AOC Gros
Plant du Pays Nantais produces only wines
with the Folle Blanche grape variety (as in Cognac wine region). We
return to the Melon vines with two 741 ac denominations each and
they are: Muscadet Coteaux de Grandlieu
(around the Grandlieu lake) and Muscadet
Coteaux de la Loire (between Nantes and
Anjou-Saumur subzone).
Last
5 denominations explained (from MSM to MCL) can benefit from the
mention on lees (sur
lie) ... What does this mean?
That
after the alcoholic fermentation of the Melon or Folle Blanche must
the wine rests in contact on its fine lees X time, normally in steel
tanks. This time will count from the end of
the fermentation until (minimum) March 1st
of the year following the harvest "or" (maximum) until
November 30 of the year following the harvest. The richness of this
wine will depend of the stay on lees period. That white wine will be
special because:
It
will have a slight effervescence because
of the CO2
that lees naturally retain.
Lower
SO2
dose necessary because the lees are
natural protectors for the wine
Greater
volume, roundness and softness
feeling in the mouth.
Higher
storage potential
once in bottle (without previous filtering).
