Anjou Saumur

Question 1

Anjou-Saumur climate:

Touraine climate:

Answer 1

maritime

Continental

Question 2

Both Anjou-Saumur and Touraine receive ~__mm rainfall per year.

When does it fall?

Answer 2

700mm, falls throughout the year.

Question 3

In Anjou, which river and its multiple tributaries help create the misty conditions that help with botrytis?

Answer 3

River Layon

Question 4

In Anjou-Saumur and Touraine there is a wide range of soils, including clay-limestone, flint-clay, sand, gravel and tuff.

There is more __ and __ in Anjou and more __ in Touraine.

Answer 4

Schist and limestone in Anjou;
Chalk in Touraine.

Question 5

Chenin Blanc:

Buds____
Ripes____ and _____ requiring_______

Answer 5

Buds early,
ripens late and unevenly several passes in the vineyard to harvest optimal fruit

Vigorous
thin

Question 6

Cabernet Franc buds ___,
and ripens ______

Answer 6

Buds early,
middle of harvest

Cab Franc is also winter hardy.

Question 7

Winemaking style for chenin blanc

Answer 7

Chenin Blanc is fermented at cool to mid-range temperatures. As a result, fermentation
can last several months. Large old oak or stainless steel containers are typically used as fermentation vessels. Typically, malolactic fermentation is avoided, and wines are aged in neutral containers, not new barriques. The aim is to retain primary fruit aromas and flavours.

Question 8

Winemaking style for cab franc

Answer 8

Cabernet Franc is typically crushed, fermented in concrete or old wood vats that allow punch downs and/or pump overs. Many producers prefer to use ambient yeasts and it is typical to age the wine in used oak barrels of a range of sizes. As with Chenin Blanc, the aim is to retain primary fruit aromas and flavours. Some more expensive wines may be aged in a proportion of new French oak barriques.

Question 9

Four other red grapes found in Anjou-Saumur and Touraine are:

Answer 9

Malbec (Côt);
Cabernet Sauvignon;
Grolleau Noir;
Gamay Noir.

Question 10

What is the difference between Anjou AOC and Anjou Villages AOC?

Answer 10

Anjou AOC = red and white wines with maximum yield of 60 hL/hs; whites must be min 80% Chenin Blanc and reds must be min 70% CF +/or CS;
Anjou Villages AOC = red wines only from CF +/or CS, max 55 hl/ha.

Question 11

Coteaux du Layon AOC specializes in sweet wines made from Chenin Blanc.

How can the wines achieve their sweetness?

Answer 11

Botrytis;
If botrytis fails to develop, grapes are allowed to shrivel on the vine.

Question 12

Coteaux du Layon AOC + named village can only be made from ___-affected grapes.

Answer 12

Botrytis-affected

Question 13

What are the 3 nested geographical areas of Coteaux de Layon that produce sweet white wines?

Which one is a 1er Cru and which one is a Grand Cru?

What is their overall yield and alcohol potential

Answer 13

Bonnezeaux AOC;
Coteaux du Layon AOC Chaume - 1er Cru
Quarts de Chaume AOC - Grand Cru.

low yield, high alcohol potential (min 18% for Quarts de Chaume)

Question 14

Savennières AOC

What are its soils and slopes?
What is the maximum yield?

Answer 14

South-facing slopes, low-fertility, rocky schist soils;
50 hl/ha.

Question 15

Style of Savennieres AOC?

Answer 15

Traditionally, very high acidity and often reach high levels of alcohol. They can be very austere in youth and historically have required many years in bottle before they became approachable

modern: slightly more fruity, approachable style via vineyard management improvements and overall warmer climate

Question 16

What are the two smaller AOCs within Savennières AOC?
Are they cooler or warmer than Savennières generally, and what is their maximum yield?

Answer 16

Savennières La Roche aux Moines AOC and Coulée de Serrant AOC.
Warmer, 30 hl/ha

Question 17

What are the 3 rosé AOCs of Anjou-Saumur?

Which one is going to be the driest (with the least RS)?

Answer 17

Rosé de Loire AOC;
Rosé d’Anjou AOC;
Cabernet d’Anjou AOC

Question 18

Rosé de Loire AOC can be made from which grapes?
What is its max yield?

Answer 18

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay and Grolleau Noir;
60 hL/ha.

Question 19

Rosé d’Anjou AOC is mainly made from ___ and its maximum yield is __ hl/ha. They are medium-dry.

Answer 19

Grolleau;
65 hl/ha.

Question 20

Cabernet d’Anjou AOC must be made from ___ and ___ and its maximum yield is __ hL/ha

The wines are medium-dry.

Answer 20

Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon;
60 hl/ha.

Question 21

Rosé winemaking style

Answer 21

Many Loire rosés are made by direct press. Short maceration is used on some rosés. Winemaking then proceeds as it would for white wine with short ageing (3–4 months) in neutral containers.

Question 22

What are the differences between Saumur AOC and Coteaux du Saumur AOC, and what is the maximum yield for each AOC?

Answer 22

Saumur AOC = dry white, red, rosé, sparkling; max yields are 60 hl/ha (low intensity wines);
Coteaux du Saumur AOC = sweet wines made with over-ripe Chenin Blanc grapes, with or without botrytis; max yields are 35 hl/ha.

Question 23

Saumur-Champigny AOC makes only __ wines made principally from this grape.

What is the maximum yield here?

Answer 23

Red wines;
Cabernet Franc (85%);
57 hl/ha, kind of high, leading to some wines with low flavor intensity.

Question 24

What is the style that Saumur-Champigny is known for?

Answer 24

Most wines are intended to be light, accessible, and drunk young for their primary fruit

The wines of this appellation became very successful in the bars and bistros of Paris from the 1970s onwards with the Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg co-operative championing this style

Question 25

Famous high quality producer in Saumur-Champigny

Answer 25

Clos Rougeard

Question 26

The big Touraine AOC makes white, rosé, red, and sparkling wines from these 4 grapes.

Answer 26

Sauvignon Blanc;
Cab Franc;
Côt;
Gamay.

Question 27

What are the 2 most important Chenin Blanc AOCs in Touraine?
They both have the same maximum yield, __ hl/ha.

Answer 27

Vouvray AOC and Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC;
52 hl/ha.

Question 28

Where are the best vineyards in Vouvray? Why?

Answer 28

on the slopes that overlook the Loire River

Proximity to the river promotes ripening due to good sunlight interception with the river acting as a moderating influence on temperatures;

Question 29

Why are vineyards further away from the Loire River in Vouvray less ideal?

Answer 29

Away from the river clay increases, making the soils colder, inhibiting ripening.

Question 30

What’s the main production difference between Vouvray and Anjou?

Answer 30

Dry Vouvray is made in every vintage; some demi-sec in most years, while sweet is rarer. In Anjou, sweet wines are made almost every vintage

Question 31

In Touraine, what are the three most important red wine AOCs?

Answer 31

Bourgueil AOC;
Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOC (lighter in style than Bourgueil);
Chinon AOC.

Question 32

Bourgueil, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and Chinon all have the same three soils: sand, gravel and clay-limestone.

Which soil produces the lightest/early-to-drink style and which soil produces the most structured and long lived?

Answer 32

Sand = lightest/early-to-drink
Clay-limestone = most structured and long lived

Question 33

The light, fruity, early-to-drink Chinons see __ days of skin maceration.
The more structured and powerful Chinons see __ weeks of skin maceration.

Answer 33

Light, fruity: 6-8 days
Structured, powerful: 2-3 weeks

Question 34

Where are the vineyards of Coteaux du Layon located within the appellation?

Answer 34

Located on the slopes on both sides of the Layon River