LOIRE Flashcards
4 MUSCADET APPELLATIONS
Muscadet AOP - rarely used
subs:
Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP - northern/high acid
Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP - struggles in quality
Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine AOP - 23 communes, 83% of muscadet production, 1/2 is ‘sur lie’
‘SUR LIE’ rquirements
- must be from 3 subs (coteaux de la loire, cotes de grandlieu, and sevre-et-maine)
- kept on its lees (in either tank or barrel) after fermentation until at least March 1 of the year following the harvest
- bottled directly off lees, no filtering between March 1 and Nov. 30 of year following harvest
- not released until March 8 following harvest
HERMINE d’OR
- unofficial terms promoting terroir and ageability
- only Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine
- Guy Bossard and others
Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine subs
- Cru Commineaux proposed in ‘01, became reality in ‘11 with 3 subs:
- Le Pallet (lees til April 2 two years after harvest), Gorges & Clisson (til Nov 1 two years after harvest)
- select schist soils
- 18 mos. on lees
- precludes ‘Sur Lie’ since exceeds those requirements
Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine sub soils
Clisson: Granite
Gorges: Clay and gabbro (igneous rock)
Le Pallet: Gneiss, quartz, and gabbro
Gros Plant de Pays Nantais AOP
- whites only
- may be sur lie
- min. 70% Gros Plant (Folle Blanche), plus Montils and max 10% Colombard
Coteaux d’Ancenis
- very eastern edge of Pays Nantais, northern side of river, bordering Anjou
- whites = Pinot Gris, as varietal-labeled ‘Malvoisie’ sometimes
- red = Gamay
- rosé = Gamay
Fiefs Vendéens
- south of Muscadet in a few non-contiguous areas
- west to east: Brem, Mareuil, Chantonay, Pissotte and Vix
- whites= min. 60% CB + complimentary Chardonnay (Grolleau Gris allowed in Brem, SB in Vix)
- red = CF, Négrette, PN + accessory CS, Gamay
- rosé = min. 80% PN + Gamay, accessories CF, CS, Négrette, Grolleau Gris
Savennieres soils and two subs
- blue schist and volcanic debris
- Roche aux Moins
- Coulée de Serrant (monopole of Joly)
- subs stricter on min abv, yield, must wt, and no chaptalization
Coulée de Serrant
3 distinct sections:
Les Plantes, Clos du Chateau, Grand Clos de la Coulée
Coteaux du Layon &
Coteaux de l’Aubance
- both Chenin Blanc, late harvest or SGN, minimum RS of 34
- 7 villages can append to Coteaux du Layon
-
Coteaux du Layon Villages (which can append name)
Faye
Rochefort
Rablay
Beaulieu
St. Aubin
St. Lambert
all the above: 15% min potential alc, 238 min must wt., 34 g RS, 30 hl/ha yield
Chaume (‘Premier Cru’) :
16.5% min pot. alc, 272 min must wt., 80 g/L RS, 25 hl/ha, no chaptal., manual harvesting in successive tries
Coteaux de Layon 2 subs
both south-facing
Quarts de Chaume (in Rochefort-sur-Loire)
- Grand Cru 2010 harvest forward
- 54 ha (just larger than Clos de Vougeot)
- Total production under 10k cases
- top producers= Dom. des Baumard & Chat. Pierre-Bise
Bonnezeaux (in Thouarcé)
- larger than Quarts de Chaume
- producers = Chat. des Fesles
Anjou-Villages
- red wine only
- CF w/ proportion of CS
Anjou-Villages Brissac
- red only
- CF w/ CS
- covers same 10 communes authorized as Coteaux de l’Aubance
Saumur
- can be labeled as Anjou, but not vice versa
- red, dry white, sparkling white/rosé (no still rosé)
- Rouge ‘Puy Notre Dame’ stricter regs
- over half of grapes are destined for Saumur sparkling AOP and Cremant de Loire
- white = CB 100%
- red = CF plus max 30% combined CS & PD (Puy Notre Dame = CF plus 15% CS)
- sparklings = min 60% CF max 10% SB
Cabernet de Saumur AOP
- the rosés of Saumur
- CF and CS
- primeur / nouveau
Saumur Champigny
- harder, iron-rich, shale infected limestone
- ‘field of fire’
- red only = CF plus max 15% combined CS, PD
- 8 villages can produce