Loire Valley Flashcards
Loire River starts and ends
Mont Gerbier de Jonc to coast
Fines Bulles
Fine Bubbles,
Petillant, Mousseux, crémant
Loire
Where is Volcanic Loire?
Upper Loire but only 2 of 4 apps have Volcanic soil:
Cote Roannaise
Cote de Forez
What happened to Francois Chidaine and Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups?
Vouvray decreed in 2013 that wine must be vinified within boundaries shutting out its 2 top producers
Which region was dividing point between Latin South and Celtic/Germanic North?
Loire
Where did Joan of Arc go to convince Charles VII to accept the French Crown?
Chinon
What varietal did the Dutch plant in the Loire
Folle Blanche for Brandewijn
Loire root meaning
Liger, = silt/sediment
What are gabarres/sapines/auvergnates?
Flat bottom boats traveling Loire to Nantes. On arrival they were disassembled for building material
Longest river in France?
Loire
What are the 3 major landforms in the Loire Valley
Massif Amoricain- Pays Nantais & Anjou
Paris Basin- Central Loire
Massif Central- Upper Loire
Most planted varietal Loire?
CF
SB for white
Most common vine training Loire
Cordon & guyot
Pinot Gris pseudonym Loire
Malvoisie
Large IGP of Loire
Val de Loire IGP (Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France)
What rivers bisect Muscadet
Sèvre & Maine
Soils of Pays Nantais ( Lower Loire)
Volcanic, igneous, metamorphic (porous soils)
Muscadet AOC
sub-regional
Allows CH up to 10%
Sur lie DISALLOWED!
SMALLER PRODUCTION THAN MUSCADET SEVRE ET MAINE
Muscadet Sevre et Maine, Gros Plant du Pays Nantais “Sur Lie” legal meaning
Bottled between March 1st- Dec 31st (so longer lees aging disqualifies, like for Muscadet Sevre et Maine DGC’s)
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
75% of production
90% of production= sur lie
9 DGC- longer minimum sur lie requirements but CANNOT put “sur lie” on the label
Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOC
Smallest and furthest from the sea
Hillsides
Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu
SW of Nantes along Lake Grand-Lieu
Flat.
of Appellation Pays Nantais
How many DGC’s for Muscadet Sevre et Main
9
NO SUR LIE ON LABEL (Requires longer Sur lie Aging)
Pays Nantais, where do you find Gamay?
Coteaux d’ Ancenis AOC & Fiefs Vendeens AOC
Largest territory of Loire Valley?
Middle Loire
Middle Loire W-East
Anjou (Angers)
Saumur
Touraine
Tuffeau
Turonian Chalk
Chalk/Limstone
Soils of Middle Loire
W- Black Anjou- dark schist and sandstone
E- White Anjou- tuff eau
Difference reflected in color of stone buildings in each area.
Saumur known for what style of wine. Why?
Sparkling
Tuffeau & permitted yields for Mousseux are higher than for Cremant de Loire
La Douceur Angevine
Sweet Anjou- describes climate around Angers and south of it. under oceanic influence but not near the sea. Great weather.
Anjou AOC
-Covers Saumur and Anjou- over 150 villages
-More red wine
-Reds= CF, CS, Grolleau, Pineau d’Aunis
-Whites = CB + small CH & SB
Mousseux
“Frothy” / “Bubbly”
Moelleux
“Mellow”. Semi-sweet wines
Anjou Villages AOC
Red only
CF+CS (any proportion) but always a blend
46 villages
Anjou Brissac AOC
Red only
CF + CS blend
Lower yields than Anjou Village AOC
Forest shelters the village making it warmer and drier
What style of wine is most common in all of Anjou
Rosé
Cabernet d’Anjou AOC
Rosé only
Same zones Anjou AOC
Min sweetness 10 g/l
CF + CS
Largest volume of 3 Anjou Rose appellations
“onion skin” color
Rose d’Anjou AOC
Rose only
Same zone as Anjou AOC
min 7 g/l
Grolleau Gris= backbone
+
CF, CS, Cot, Gamay, Grolleau, Pineau d’Aunis
Coteaux du Layon AOC
Semi sweet or sweet
Min 34 g/l
1er Cru Chaume minimum 80 g/l
Flanks both sides of Layon
6 DGC
SGN allowed but terms rarely used
Chaptalization illegal
Quart de Chaume Grand Cru AOC
Quart references Middle Ages when farmers had to give one quarter of harvest to land lords
Min 85 g/l
Grand Cru in 2011
Passerillage and/or Noble Rot
Bonnezeaux
Min 51 g/l
R bank or Layon
“Bonnes” “Eaux” = Good waters
Compared to Quarts de Chaume but thought of as more refreshing acidity.
Anjou-Coteaux de la Loire AOC
semi sweet or sweet
min 34 g/l
Both sides of Loire
Coteaux de l’Aubance AOC
semi or sweet
min 34 g/l
Both banks of Aubance
Warmest Anjou appellation because of surrounding forests
SGN allowed
Who first planted CB in Savennieres?
Christian monks
2 special plots of Savennieres?
La Roche aux Moines & Coulee de Serrant
Savennieres AOC
Dry, semi or sweet
5 steep south facing hills
Classically dry
Slate, Schist, Volcanic Rock and Aeolian Sands
What Loire appellation passes estates from mother to daughter?
Savennieres
Aeolian Sands
“Wind Blown”
EU Still Wine Residual Sugar Chart
Dry/Sec: <4 g/l
Med Dry/Demi-sec: 4-12
Medium sweet/Moeulleux: 12-45
Sweet/Doux: >45
Savennieres Roche aux Moines
Dry, semi, sweet
Famous lieu-dit in continuous production since 12th century when plot was gifted to Abel Saint Nicolas of Angers.
Monks planted vineyard named “Monk’s Rock”
Lower yields than Savennieres and a minimum of 2 passes required
NO CHAPTALIZATION
Coulee de Serrant AOC
Dry, semi or sweet
Cistercian monks in 1130
17.5 acre monopole owned by the Joly Family
Biodynamic
min 2 passes
Estate focuses on dry wines only
Saumur AOC
white, rose, red, sparkling
Saumur AOC mousseux incorporates some areas of Anjou
Sparkling: CB for white, CF for rose
min 9 months on lees
Whites= 100% CB
1 DGC- Puy-Notre Dame- Red wines from CF+CS
Saumur-Champigny AOC
Red only
CF + CS, Pineau d’Aunis
Most important red appellation in Anjou-Saumur
Small zone composed of 8 villages near the town of Saumur
Champigny= latin campus igni= “field of fire” = areas warm mess climate
Touraine’s vineyards can be divided into 3 zones…..
A. West- reds from CF
B. East- whites from SB
C. Central- whites from CB
4 main soil types of Touraine
- Tuffeau- West Touraine to Vouvray
- Aubuis- Clay/Limestone on hillsides
- Sedimentary deposits of sand and gravel near rivers
- Argile à silex/ perruches- Flinty clay near Vouvray, Montois, east Touraine
3 primary white varietals of Touraine
CB, SB &
Romorantin- exclusively in Cour-Cheverny
Pinot Teinturier x Gouais Blanc
Touraine dominant style
Red
Most important sparkling app of Touraine?
Vouvray
Touraine AOC
60% White!
Blois to Vienne & Loire Rivers
white, rose, red, sparkling
still rose= blend of 2 varieties, dry, no grape> 70% of blend
Reds- East of Tours= Côt, West of Tours= CF
5 DGC
Touraine Noble Joué AOC
Named after city of Jose les Tours
Vin Gris from: Meunier, PN & PG (Mostly Meunier)
PG= fruit and finesse
PN= roundness and length
Always dry
No red wine from same vat allowed!
Bourgueil AOC
Rosè, Red
CF…. CS
North of Chinon on Right bank of Loire
2 categories Gravel & Tuffeau
Gravel more red fruited, tuffeau more structured and complex
Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil AOC
Rosé, Red
CF…. CS
Right bank of Loire
More sandy gravels so more raspberry supple mouthfeel
Can legally be bottled as Bourgueil (this is rare)
Generally, more drink now style
Chinon AOC
Dry White, Rosè, Red
South/Left bank of Loire
Vienne River bisects
Loire’s largest red appellation by volume
Forests keep vineyards warmer
Vouvray AOC
City of Tours is here
Mostly Right bank
60% mousseux and petillant (traditional method, min 12 months sur lie)
dry, semi, sweet or sparkling white
CB…… Orbois
Loire’s largest White producer
Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC
CB only
L Bank Loire
South border = Cher River
35% organic
Mostly sparkling including peillant originel
Loire and “Petillant Originel”
Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC only!
Hand harvested, no additions including sugar or yeast.
1 fermentation w/9 months on lees, no dosage!
Valençay AOC
E Touraine
White, Rose, Red
White= SB
Red and Rose- Gamay blends (cot, PN, CF, Pineau d’Aunis)
Cheverny AOC
White, Rose, Red
between 3 rivers: Beuvron, Cosson, Bievre
Cour-Cheverny AOC
dry and sweet whites NO REDS
ROMORANTIN ONLY
compared to Chardonnay
Orleans AOC
white, rose, red
CH…. PG
Reds= Meunier
Orleans-Clery
RED ONLY
CF!
2 Middle Loire sub regional Appellations
Cremant de Loire & Rose de Loire
Cremant de Loire AOC
CB, CF, CH are most common
Rose de Loire AOC
Still Rose
Smallest production of the 3 still rose AOC in Anjou
must be dry, no blending formula
AOC’s in Centre-Loire
8
4 soil types of Centre Loire
- Limestone/Caillottes: limestone rich pebbles of Portlandian Marl
- Clay & Limestone (Terres Blanches- Kimmeridgian marl rich in oyster fossils
- Silex: Flint or Argiles a silex ( clay with flint)
- Sands and gravel
Centre Loire historically planted with?
Chasselas
Sancerre AOC soils
Argiles a silex- gunflint
caillottes- perfumed with faster maturity
terres blanches- powerful with ageability
Hillier + higher altitude than MS & PF
Pouilly-Fume
No red
Daganeau
More herbal/vegetal/less ripe
Fume=smoked from gunflint aromas.
Pouilly-sur-Loire
CHASSELAS!
Mentou-Salon
Sister of Sancerre
10 villages can append name
Quincy AOC
L bank Cher River (West of Sancerre and Mentor Salon)
SB and SG
Reuilly AOC
White, Rose, Red
SB, PG, PN
non contiguous
Both sides of Arnon River
Always first Centre-Loire AOC to harvest
Largest volume production Centre Loire?
Sancerre AOC
Chaine de Puys
Chain of extinct volcanos in Upper Loire
Upper Loire Varietals
CH & Gamay (More Burgundian)
in Loire, Cab Franc known as ?
Breton
In Loire, Chenin Blanc also known as
Pineau de la Loire, Gros Pineau
Which Centre Loire App is non contiguous and the first to harvest?
Reuilly
Puy
Puy= weathered hill composed of solidified magnum
What is the pseudonym for SB in Pouilly Fume
Blanc Fume
What appellation shares it’s name with a famous goat cheese
Valencay AOC
What appellation shares it’s name with a famous goat cheese
Valencay AOC
What is the Loire’s largest red appellation by Volume
Chinon
Soils of Vouvray
Aubuis & Perruches
Largest White by volume in Loire
Vouvray
Which Muscadet app is smallest
Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire
What is France’s largest IGP by area
Val de Loire IGP
Chinon sits on what river?
Vienne
The Arnon flows through what AOC
Reuilly AOC
What is the principal grape used for rosé production in the Loire?
Grolleau
