Loire Producers Flashcards
Three Producers who frequently produce Hermine d’Or worthy wines
Jo Landron, Domaine de la Louvetrie (Cuvée Hermine d’Or)
Luneau-Papin (Pierres Blances)
Guy Bossard, Domaine de l’Ecu (Gneiss, Orthogneiss, Granite)
Cru Communaux Bottlings
Clisson: Pepière
Gorges: André-Michel Brégeon
Le Pallet: Vignerons du Pallet
Nicholas Joly: Wines
Les Vieux Clos (Les Clos Sacrés in USA, formerly Becherelle), sourced from four separate plots, essentially AOC Savennieres.
Clos de la Bergerie, sourced from Roches-aux-Moines.
Clos de la Coulée de Serrant
What is Château Pierre-Bise named for?
The local name for the volcanic spilite (fine grained, of basaltic origin) in the vineyards (particularly Rouannières)
Pierre-Bise: Dry Whites
Anjou Haut de la Garde (single vineyard across the river from CdS and RaM; contains Les Rayelles, source for the Coteaux du Layon)
Savennières Clos le Grand Beaupréau (within Moulin de Beaupréau)
Roche aux Moines (since 2005)
Pierre-Bise: Sweet Whites
Les Rayelles (Rochefort, high elevation plot within Haut de la Garde)
Les Rouannières (in Beaulieu, mostly pierre-bise soil)
Clos de la Soucherie (Beaulieu, carboniferous rock and pierre-carré [aka phthanite: compacted silica])
L’Anclaie (Beaulieu, schist and phthanite)
Chaume
Quarts de Chaume
What is Clos de Coulaine?
A Savennières vineyard rented by Claude Papin and Joëlle Chevalier Papin of Pierre-Bise; rented vines are bottled under the Papin-Chevalier label.
Pierre-Bise: Reds
Anjou Gamay
Rouge Schiste
Rouge Spilite
Baumard: Savennières
Clos du Papillon (schist, plus other igneous and metamorphic rocks)
Clos Ste Yves (sometimes marketed as straight Domaine es Baumard). Also schist.
Trie Spéciale (only made in favorable vintages from Clos Ste Yves fruit)
What is Baumard Vert de l’Or?
The wines made from 1ha of Verdelho in the Clos Ste Yves vineyard (Savennières).
Ist vintages: 1986 for sec, 1999 for moelleux.
Pulled up in 2007.
Baumard: Sweet Wines
Quarts de Chaume: made via cryoselection (freezing the crop until the less-ripe berries are frozen, then pressing).
Carte d’Or (entry level, from purchased fruit from St. Lambert)
Clos Ste Catherine (cuvée of fruit from Clos Ste Catherine [Rochefort] and Bourg Chevreau. All domaine fruit.
Cuvée Le Paon (old vine selection, in good vintages)
What is vignes hautes et larges?
A planting system unique to Baumard: 3M between rows, 80cm between vines in a row, trained up to 2M high. Illegal as of 2014 for Quarts de Chaume.
Roche Neuves: Viticulture and Winemaking
Biodynamic. No effeuillage.
Generally whole cluster and indigenous yeasts, small sulphur at bottling.
Roche Neuves: Wines
RED
Terres Chaudes: 35-45yo vines, from Dares and Les Poyeux, all Tuffeau limestone, all cement and large old oak.
La Marginale: mostly Les Poyeux, Turonian limestone, south facing slope.
Franc de Pied: en gobelet, sandy soil. V. rare, and expensive.
Les Mémoires: 120yo vines, some grafted, some ownrooted. Destemmed.
WHITE
L’Insolite: 90yo vines on clay-limestone, sandstone, flint, 1 and 2yo oak
Clos Romans: single vineyard, high density plantings, on limestone
Clos de l’Echelier: red and white. Clay soils. Younger vines.
Clos Rougeard: WInes
Brézé: Saumur Blanc
Les Poyeux: 45yo vines, sandy soils, one year old barrels for 18-24mos.
Le Bourg: 1ha plot of 70yo vines, aged in new oak.
Huet: Vineyards
Le Haut Lieu: top of the hill (100M) behind the Huet house; Turonian limestone bedrock, covered by brown clay & chalk (aubuis).
Clos de Bourg: to the west, directly north of the town of Vouvray, shallower topsoil (1M), similarly high elevation
Le Mont: directly east of the Huet cellars, lower in elevation, deep topsoil of green clay with lumps of flint (perrons - clay and flint together is perruches).
Foreau: Vineyards
Les Perruches: named for the soil, to the east of Le Mont
Les Ruettes: farther back from the river, clay over limestone
Foreau: Cuvées
Sparkling: Brut (NV and Vintage, 3-4 years on the lees) and Brut Réserve (RD, 4-8 years on the lees)
Sec, Demi-Sec,
Moelleux: passerillé, 60-80g/L
Moelleux Réserve: botrytis, 120-200g/L, not produced in every vintage.
Goutte d’Or: super-concentrated, botrytized. Produced in 1947, 1990, 2011.
Réserve de Première Trie: passilerage. Only produced in 1989.
Chidaine: Montlouis
SINGLE VINEYARDS
Clos du Breuil: perruches, NW facing, always dry
Clos Habert: clay and fine flint, just upslope of CdB, usually demi-sec
Les Bournais: named for the type of limestone, generally sec. Also produces Franc de Pied (planted 1999)
CUVÉES
Les Choisilles: generally sec, named for black flint
Les Tuffeaux: generally sec-tendre, named for limestone
Les Lys: SGN
Brut Méthode Traditionelle, non-dosé
Chidaine: Vouvray
SINGLE VINEYARDS
Clos Baudoin: 70yo vines, en gobelet, clay and chalky limestone, always sec
Le Bouchet: 50yo vines, also clay-limestone, generally demi-sec or moelleux
Les Argiles: clay and limestone
Taille Aux Loups: Winemaking and Viticulture
Generally organic (uncertified). Harvested in tries. In high rot years, fruit is harvested berry by berry and sorted again at the end of the row. No chaptalization. Nearly all wines fermented in oak; from all neutral to 25-33% new on single vineyard or sweet cuvées.
Taille Aux Loups: Sparkling
Triple Zero: Methode Ancestrale (Pet Nat)
Brut Tradition: Methode Traditionelle
Taille Aux Loups: Montlouis
Les Dix Arpents (entry level, 50yo vines, old oak) Rémus/Rémus Plus (sec, new-to-2yo barrels, 40yo vines v. 70yo vines for Plus) Clos Michet Clos Mosny Demi-sec Moelleux Cuvée des Loups Romulus/Romulus Plus (up to 80yo vines)
Taille Aux Loups: Vouvray
Les Caburoches (previously Champs Rougets, entry level, sec)
Clos de la Bretonnière (new-to-2yo barrels)
Clos de Venise (same oak as Brentonnière)
Raffault: Wines
Champs-Chenin (white, all stainless)
Les Barnabés (sand/gravel, stainless, vin de soif)
Les Peuilles (clay/flint, fermented in stainless, aged in foudre for 6-8mos)
Les Picasses (limestone, 50yo vines, fermented in stainless, aged in foudre for 12-14mos).
Baudry: Wines
Chinon Blanc
Les Graves (25-30yo vines on alluvial soils near the river, all stainless)
La Domaine/Chinon Rouge (75% gravel, 25% limestone, 35yo vines, fermented in cement)
Les Grézeaux (gravel, 60yo vines, fermented in cement, aged in 1-5yo wood)
Clos Guillot (limestone, young vines, fermented and aged in oak)
La Croix Boissée (previously Cuvée Signature, limstone, 35yo vines, fermented and aged in oak)
Progressively lower yields going down the lineup.
All fermented/aged in 1-3yo barrels between 12-22mos.
Joguet: Top Wines
All fermented/aged in 1-3yo barrels between 12-22mos.
Clos de la Dioterie (north facing, clay/chalk, 90yo vines)
Clos du Chêne Vert (upstream of Chinon, southwest aspect, clay/silica/limestone)
Les Varennes du Grand Clos (clay/gravel over limestone)
Les Varennes du Grand Clos Franc de Pied (planted 1982; pulled up in 2006 or 2007)
Cotat Family History
Founded by Ferdinand Thomas (1920), handed to Paul and Francis in 1947. The brothers pooled resources and produced one wine under 2 labels. Farming was organic; fertilizer and pesticides were never adopted.
In 1990’s: Paul to François, and Francis to Pascal.
François Cotat: Location and vineyards
Les Monts Damnés Les Culs de Beaujeu La Grande Côte Plus .9ha of young vines between Chavignol and Sancerre, bottled as Caillottes (previously Jeunes Vignes to 2008) Chavignol
François Cotat: Winemaking
Harvested late, looking for ripeness.
Must goes direct to barrel with no débourbage (old barrels & demi-muids).
Bottled unfiltered.
What is Cuvée Paul?
A demi-sec bottling from François Cotat, named for his father, labeled VDF.
Pascal Cotat: Location and vineyards
Sancerre
Les Monts Damnés
La Grande Côte
plus other assorted Pinot Noir vines (mostly for rosé)
Pascal Cotat: Winemaking
Like François: harvested late, and sometimes with a bit of RS.
Fermented in demi-muid, and DO see debourbage before. Still no fining or filtering.
End result is richer, nearly creamy.
Who produces Clos la Neore?
Edmond Vatan
From Les Monts Damnés, harvested late (like Cotat), bottled unfined/unfiltered.
Vacheron: Viticulture
Biodynamic; certified as of 2004
Vacheron: Wines
Cuvée Domaine: red and white, stainless steel, 70% old oak for red)
WHITE
Les Romains (flint; foudre)
Paradis (clay over limestone, 2600-3600hL foudre)
Chambrates (clay and caillottes, mix of foudre and barrel)
Guigne Chèvres (clay and caillottes, large vat)
RED
La Belle Dame (from Les Romains, flint, barrel into wooden cuve)
Why do you see other Vacheron bottlings in the market?
Reine Blanche, Cailleries, etc. are names name up by merchants, renaming wines already made.
Dagueneau: Vineyards
En Chailloux (first plot; no longer part of the domaine)
La Folie (flint & clay, partial franc de pied)
Le Bois de Saint-Andélain
Clos du Calvaire
Buisson Menard (heavy clay)
Les Coques
Les Monts Damnés (Sancerre)
Dagueneau: Wines
Blanc Fumé de Pouilly (replaced En Chailloux; blended from multiple plots) Pur Sang (from La Folie) Buisson Renard (from Buisson Menard) Silex (from Bois de Saint-Andélain) Astéroïde (La Folie franc de pied) Mont Damnés (first vintage 2006) Jardins de Babylone (first release 2004)
Dagueneau: Winemaking & Wood
Epic investment in the vineyards (1 worker per hectare - equal to Yquem!)
Fermentation and aging in wood (demi-muid and cigare [350-400L]) or stainless.
NO MALOLACTIC.
