Loire Flashcards
What region is known as the Jardin de la France?
The Loire
When does winemaking in the Loire date to?
1st centurty CE
Which events took the spotlight away from the Loire in the high and Middle Ages?
King Louis XIV’s coronation at Reims and his development of Versailles
When did phylloxera hit the Loire?
1880
What region produces the most white wine in France?
The Loire and it is second to champagne in sparkling wine production
What are the classic white varietals of the Loire?
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne
A host of secondary white regional and in- ternational grapes can be found throughout the valley, including Chardonnay, Orbois (Arbois/Menu Pineau), Romorantin, Gros Plant (Folle Blanche), and Chasselas.
What is Breton
A name for Cab Franc in the Loire Valley
What is the most important red varietal in the Loire?
Cabernet Franc
Followed by Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec (Côt), Pineau d’Aunis, and Groslot (Grolleau)
What is Pays Nantais climate like?
A cool, wet maritime region planted primarily to the Melon de Bourgogne grape. This is Muscadet country
What are the 4 Muscadet appellations in Pays Nantais?
Muscadet AOP
Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP
Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP
Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine AOP.
What ABV does Muscadet generally show best at?
12% ABV or below
Muscadet AOP is the basic appellation for Melon de Bourgogne, what are the characteristics of their wine?
The wines are neutral, bone dry to dry, high in acid, and designed for youthful consumption
The appellation is seldom used, as most producers qualify for one of the other three sub-appellations.
Which Pays Nantais region accounts for over 80% of Muscadet production?
Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine
How many Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine communes can grapes be sourced from?
23 communes around the Sèvre and Maine Rivers
What are the typical soil types found in Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine?
Gneiss, silica, clay, and granite
In order for Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine muscadet to be labeled Sur Lie, what are the requirements?
In order to label Muscadet as sur lie, the wine must originate from land qualifying for one of the three sub-appellations. Sur lie wines are aged on their lees over the winter and are bottled directly off the fine lees (without filtering) between March 1 and November 30 of the year following the harvest. The process adds complexity, richness, and a slight sparkle to the finished wines.
Nearly 50% of Sèvre-et-Maine muscadets are labeled Sur Lie.
What is the newest Muscadet AOP, when was it created?
Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP
1994
Where is Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP located in relation to Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine? What are the differences in character between the two?
Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP is further north, and the wines are correspondingly leaner. In warmer vintages, the area is an excellent source for grapes.
In Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, what does Hermine d’Or, represent?
“Hermine d’Or,” is an unofficial label term that promotes terroir and stresses ageability
What are the three subzones for Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine?
The three subzones for Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine are
Clisson
Le Pallet
Gorges
What are the minimum sur lie aging requirements for Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine three sub zones?
Clisson
Le Pallet
Gorges
18 months
Which region is the Loire’s largest?
Anjou
Which is the center for the Loire’s sparkling wine production?
Saumur
What is Pineau de la Loire?
Another name for Chenin in the Loire
Is Anjou’s Chenin produced in sweet or dry styles?
Both Sweet and Dry styles are produced
45% of Anjou’s total production is reserved for which type of wine? What is the dominate variety?
Rose
The blend is dominated by Grolleau grapes
Nearly 1/3 of Anjou’s plantings are which varietal?
Cab Franc
Anjou AOP, an umbrella designation for the region is a designation for which types of wines?
Anjou AOP, a designation for red, white, and sparkling wines,
Can Saumur wines be bottles as Anjou AOP?
Yes, but Anjou wines cannot be bottles as Saumur AOP.
What are descriptors for Savennières AOP? Which grape(s) is it produced from?
100% Chenin
Savennières AOP develop great complexity and honeyed richness with age. Produced from 100% Chenin Blanc and generally dry, the wines of Savennières are austere and rigid in their youth.
Where is Savennieres AOP situated? What are its soil types?
Savennières is situated on the north bank of the Loire. Savennières enjoys a steep southern exposure and a unique soil structure com- posed of blueschist mixed with volcanic debris.
Which two sub-appellations were long regarded as the unofficial grand crus of Savennières and in 2011 received their AOC status?
Roche Aux Moines and Coulée de Serrant
Coulée de Serrant is a monopole of which producer?
The rigidly biodynamic Nicolas Joly
Coteaux du Layon AOP and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP produce from Chenin in which style?
Botrytis affected Chenin for sweet wine.
What does it mean to harvest in tries?
Harvesting in tries (multiple passes through the vineyard) is mandatory in both appellations ( Coteaux du Layon AOP and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP), resulting in either healthy grapes with pure late-harvest flavors or the selection of grapes gripped by noble rot.
What is the minimum sugar content for Coteaux du Layon AOP and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP ?
34 grams/liters
Bonnezeaux AOP and Quarts de Chaume AOP are located within which AOP?
Coteaux de Layon AOP
What commune is Bonnezeaux AOP located in?
Thouarcé
What commune is Quarts de Chaume AOP located in?
Rochefort-sur-Loire
Quarts de Chaume AOP is entitled to the grand cru moniker from which harvest forward?
2010
Quarts de Chaume AOP is located on the banks of which river? What soil types are prominent?
Layon river
The soil types are sandstone and schist
How many hectares is Quarts de Chaume AOP?
45 Hectares total, producing approximately 10,000 cases a year
Name two Quarts de Chaume AOP producers that are reliable for good sweet wine.
Domaine des Baumard and Château Pierre-Bise are both highly regarded Savennieres produces but also produce great sweet wine from the Quarts de Chaume region
What is one of the most respected estates in Bonnezeaux?
Château des Fesles
What are the seven villages that are entitles to add their names to the basic Coteaux du Layon AOP?
1. Beaulieu-sur- Layon 2. Rochefort-sur-Loire 3. Faye d’Anjou 4. St. Lambert du Lattay 5. St. Aubin de Luigné 6. Rablay-sur-Layon 7. Chaume
What is the minimal sugar content in Chaume dessert wines?
80 grams/liter
Does Anjou-Villages AOP produce red or white wine?
Anjou-Villages AOP is a red wine only appellation.
Anjou-Villages producers typically bolster Cabernet Franc with a proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, resulting in sturdier and fuller wines.
What does the Saumur AOP cover?
The Saumur AOP covers red, dry white, sparkling white, and sparkling rosé wines.
Prior to 2016, Saumur Blanc permitted the addition of which varietals?
Prior to 2016, Saumur Blanc permitted the addition of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, but now requires 100% Chenin Blanc.
Since what year does Saumur Blanc require 100% Chenin?
2016
Saumur Rouge wines allow for which varietals?
Saumur Rouge wines allow Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pineau d’Aunis
Are still rose wines permitted in Saumur?
No, still rose wines are not, although still sparkling are.
Crémant de Loire AOP allows blending across which regions? What style is this make in?
Touraine and Anjou-Saumur.
Traditional method.
What is tuffeau?
A soft limestone found in Saumur and Tourraine
What varietal is produced by Saumur-Champigny?
Cabernet Franc
It’s a a light, bright, and elegantly floral expression of Cabernet Franc.
Tthe “field of fire” near the commune of Champigny has which type of soil?
A harder limestone that is, iron-rich, and inflected with shale
Which two regions in the Loire produce attractive, expressive reds?
Chinon and Bourgueil in Touraine
Chinon AOP
Bourgueil AOP
Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOP
These three AOPs set the standard for classic Loire Cabernet Franc
Brimming with raspberry and green tobacco aromatics and framed by silky tannin, the wines demonstrate remarkable terroir distinctions—especially in Chinon.
Chinon soils are broadly divided into three types, what are they?
tuffeau, clay, and varennes.
The sandy, alluvial varennes soils are closest to the river Vienne—a Loire tributary—whereas tuffeau is more common on the slopes. The vins de tuffe originating from these limestone south-facing slopes carry the most promise for depth and ageworthiness.
What Loire tributary is Chinon located on?
The Vienne River
What are the soil characteristics of Bourgueil?
Like Chinon, Bourgueil soils are divided between sand and limestone, but Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil is situated almost wholly on lighter alluvial soils, with a cor- responding lighter style of wine.
What types of wine are produced in the below AOPs? What are the varietals?
Chinon AOP
Bourgueil AOP
Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOP
Reds must be majority Cab Franc in the final wines.
Chinon AOP - produces red (cab franc) and white (Chenin)
Bourgueil AOP - red and rose
Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOP - red and rose
Chinon and Bourgueil are located in which region?
Touraine
What is Touraine’s largest and most impor-
tant white wine district?
Vouvray
What is the subsoil of Vouvray
Tuffeau
The tuffeau limestone subsoil of
Vouvray provided soft material for excavation, resulting
in an impressive network of cellar tunnels running un-
derneath the eight delimited communes of Vouvray.