Anjou-Saumur and Touraine Flashcards
Climate
Moderating influence of the Atlantic decreases progressively in Anjou-Saumur and then Touraine.
Anjou-Saumur more maritime
Touraine continental with cold winters and warm summers (not as extreme as central vineyards)
Both have 700mm rain, adequate but throughout the year (flowering & fruit, disease, harvest)
In Anjou the river Layon and tributaries create misty conditions ideal for the spread of botrytis for noble rot wines
Grape Varieties
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc
Cabernet France, Grolleau Noir, Gamay Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon
Chenin Blanc
Early budding (spring frost) and ripens late (autumn rain) Vigorous and can carry high yields
Prone to powdery and downy mildew and botrytis bunch rot (as well as noble) and trunk diseases
Ripens unevenly so needs to be picked over several passes for good quality limiting the amount of mechanical picking. Even more so for botrytized wines
Dominant variety of middle Loire made in a range of styles: sparkling, still, dry to sweet and noble.
Medium green apple and lemon, sometimes steely or smokey; med alcohol, high acid, often balanced with RS
Good to very good; inexpensive to mid with some outstanding premium like Domaine Huet
Cabernet Franc
Early budding (spring frost) and mid ripening (autumn rain)
Prone to coulure for a yield reduction
If not ripe can taste excessively leafy. Better canopy management (avoiding dense canopies, leaf removal) with warmer summers is reducing overly green Cab Franc
Winter hardy so good for cool climate
Medium to pronounced red fruit, floral, and leafy. light to med body, med tannin, high acid
In Loire, single varietal wine or rose blend. In Eastern Touraine, the limit where it will fully ripen, it is blended with Cot (Malbec)
Grolleau Noir
Early budding / mid ripening
Prone to botrytis bunch rot
Mainly used in rose blends, espec Rose d’Anjou and Rose de Loire
Gamay Noir
Generally made via carbonic
Typically grown in Touraine and Central
Cabernet Sauvignon
Late ripening so best in the temperate Anjou but only warmest sites.
Often blended with Cab Franc and used in Rose blends
Winemaking
Chenin Blanc: Fermented at cool to mid range temps and can last several months. Large oak or stainless; MLF avoided, aged in neutral, retain primary
Cab Franc: Fermented in concrete or old wood that allows for punch down (pigeage) or pump over (remontage). Many use ambient yeasts, aging in oak of a range of sizes, with some expensive wines using a proportion of new oak. Overall aim is to retain primary
Rose: Many made via direct press. Short maceration used on some. Then fermented as a white wine and aged a few months in neutral containers
Anjou Appellations
Anjou AOC Coteaux du Layon AOC Bonnezeaux AOC Quarts de Chaume AOC Coteaux du Layon Chaume AOC Savennieres AOC Rose de Loire AOC Rose d'Anjou AOC Cabernet d'Anjou AOC
Anjou AOC
Max yield of 60 for red and white for some low intensity
Anjou Blanc min 80% Chenin
Anjou Rouge min 70% Cab Franc and / or Cab Sauv
Higher quality reds from specific sites are Anjou Villages AOC. Still reds only entirely from Cab Franc or Sauv but usually Cab Franc. Max yield 55 and release Sept after
A sig number of good producers foresake the AOC and just produce Vin de France
Sweet wine AOC’s
Coteaux du Layon AOC: large appellation on the steep slopes on the right bank of the Layon River.
Specializes in botrytis affected sweet wines made from Chenin. Or just dried on the vine. Naturally high acid of chenin balances.
Need several passes through the vineyards to select botrytis grapes
Pronounced cooked citrus, apple, honey. Med plus body, med alcohol, high acid, sweet. mid to prem price
Within Coteaux de Layon are: Bonnezeaux AOC and Quarts de Chaume AOC. More stringent requirements leading to high flavor intensity and a rich texture. with Prem and a few super prem. From 2019 Quarts de Chaume was the Loire’s first Grand Cru while Coteaux de Layon AOC Chaume will become a 1er
Regions with Max yield and min potential alcohol
Coteaux de Layon: 35 / 14
Coteaux de Layon + Named Village: 30 / 15
Bonnezeaux: 25 / 15
Coteaux de Layon 1er Cru Chaume: 25 / 16.5
Quarts de Chaume: 20 / 18
Overall hard to sell due to the move away from sweet wines. Producers are lowering their sweet wine production
Savennieres
Small but prestigious specializing in dry Chenin Blanc
South facing slopes, low fertility rocky schist soils and low yields all give concentration and ripeness
Very high acidity and often high alcohol
Can be austere in youth and historically required many years in the bottle before approachable.
As vineyard management improved and the weather is warmer some producers are making a more fruity approachable style.
Max yield is 50hl/ha
Some producers are making a premium cuvee with a proportion of new oak
Two smaller AOC’s within: Savenniere La Roche aux Moines and Coulee de Serrant. Warm sites on slopes facing the Loire for riper fruit. 30hl/ha max yield. Coulee is a monopole owned and farmed biodynamically by Nicolas Joly (figurehead of the biodynamic movement)
Anjou Rose Wines
Rose de Loire: Range of varieties including Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Gamay, and Grolleau. Max yield 60hl/ha and wines are dry. Can be made outside Anjou-Saumur but rarely is
Rose d’Anjou: Mainly from Grolleau (though Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Cot, Gamay may be used). 65 hl/ha for some low intensity. Medium pink orange, med intensity red fruit, medium plus acid, med alcohol, medium dry. Inexpensive to mid. Popular and best selling of the three
Cabernet d’Anjou: Must be made from Cab Franc or Cab Sauv. 60 hl/ha. Deeper color (medium pink) and medium dry
Saumur Appellations
Touraine Appellations
Saumur AOC
Coteaux de Saumur AOC
Saumur-Champigny AOC
Touraine AOC Touraine AOC Amboise Vourvray AOC Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC Bourgueil AOC St. Nicolas de Bourgueil AOC Chinon AOC
Saumur AOC
White, Red, Rose still wines and sparkling Whites are Chenin Blanc and 60 hl/ha Reds are Cab Franc and 57 hl/ha Rose Cab Franc and Cab Sauv and 57 hl/ha Some low flavor intensity
