Loire Valley Flashcards
What is France’s longest river and last wild river in Europe?
The Loire
How long is the Loire river?
629 miles.
It starts at the Massif Central and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
What are the main sub regions of the Loire Valley?
- Central Vineyards
- Touraine
- Anjou-Saumur
- Pays-Nantis
What are the main grape varieties of the Central Vineyards?
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Pinot Noir
What is the climate like in the central vineyards?
This is a true continental climate
- Cold winters
- Warm, dry summers
What are the different soil types in the central vineyards?
- silex (flint)
- terres blanches (kimmeridgian marl)
- caillottes (stony fossils)
What are the two main AOPs of the central vineyards?
- Sancerre
- Pouilly-Fume
What style of wine can the Pouilly-Fume AOP make?
White wine only made from Sauvignon Blanc
What style of wine can the Sancerre AOP make?
Sancerre is usually white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, but this AOP also allows red and rose wine made from Pinot Noir
What are the red and rose wines from the Sancerre AOP labeled as?
- Sancerre Rouge
- Sancerre Rose
What are the white wines from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume like?
- Steely
- Herbaceous
- Mineral driven
With rising temperatures, they can take on more tropical/pineapple notes like the Bordeaux Sauv Blanc
What container is Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume usually produced in?
Stainless steel
What are the Pinot Noirs from Sancerre usually like?
- Extremely light
- Usually less body and higher acidity than the Cote Chalonnaise pinot noir
Which AOP in the central vineyards is reserved for white wines made from the Chasselas grape?
Pouilly-sur-Loire AOP
What styles of wine will most AOPs in the central vineyards make?
Dry white wines made from sauvignon blanc and red/rose wines from Pinot Noir
Where is the Loire Valley’s best Sauvignon Blanc found?
In the central vineyards.
(Pinot Noir, while lighter in style can be exceptional here, especially in warmer vintages)
What are the outlying appellations of the central vineyards?
- Orleans AOP : wines made from Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier
- Orleans-Clery AOP: red wines only made from Pinot Noir
What are the main white varieties of Touraine?
- Chenin Blanc
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Sauvignon Gris
What are the main varieties of Touraine?
- Gamay
- Groslot
- Pineau d’Aunis
- Cabernet Franc
What is the climate like in Touraine?
Continental climate with maritime influences
- The winters are not as cold as the central vineyards
- This region receives more rainfall and humidity than the central vineyards
Touraine has many confluences of rivers which is great for what?
Botrytis
What are the soils like in Touraine?
- Tuffeau and limestone outcroppings
- Varennes (sandy alluvial)
These soils help the grapes retain acidity even in warmer vintages
What are the important bodies of water in Touraine?
- Loire River
- Cher, Indre, and Vienne tributaries of the Loire
- Loir river
the Loir river does not meet the Loire river in this region but there are 3 appellations along it that are considered part of Touraine still
What are the styles of wine produced in Touraine?
- dry red and white
- rose
- sparkling
- off-dry to sweet white wines
What are the 6 most important AOPs in Touraine?
- Chinon AOP
- Bourgueil AOP
- Saint-Nicholas-de-Bourgueil AOP
- Vouvray AOP
- Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP
- Touraine AOP
What kind of wines are allowed in the Chinon AOP?
- dry whites from chenin blanc
- dry red and rose from cabernet franc
What kind of wine is allowed in the Bourgueil AOP?
dry red and rose from cabernet franc
What kind of wine is allowed in the Vouvray AOP?
- dry to sweet white, and sparkling made from chenin blanc
A max of 5% orbois is allowed but this is seldom encountered
What kind of wine is allowed in the Touraine AOP?
- red and rose wines made from all red varieties
- white wines made from sauv blanc unless they are village designated
What is the style of gamay usually like in the Touraine AOP?
It’s usually sold as a primeur in the beaujolais nouveau style
What are the 5 villages in the Touraine AOP that are allowed to add their name to the appellation in honor of their superior wines?
- Mesland
- Azay-le-Rideau
- Amboise
- Oisly
- Chenonceaux
Each village makes a different style of red based mostly on cot (malbec) and gamay
Villages can make white wine from either sauv blanc or chenin blanc
What kind of wine is allowed in the Saint-Nicholas-de-Bourgueil AOP in Touraine?
dry reds and roses from Cabernet Franc
What kind of wine is allowed in the Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP in Touraine?
Dry to sweet and sparkling white made from Chenin Blanc
What subregion is the Loire’s largest and most diverse?
Anjou-Saumur
What grape varieties are used in Anjou-Saumur?
- Chenin Blanc
- Cabernet Franc
What is Chenin Blanc known as locally in Anjou-Saumur?
Pineau de la Loire
What is the climate like in Anjou-Saumur?
- maritime climate with continental influences
- wet springs and falls bring rot
What is the soil like in Anjou-Saumur?
The soil is varied
- Blueschist
- Gravel
- Sand
- Alluvial
- Small mixes of tuffeau
What are the major tributaries to the Loire in Anjou-Saumur?
- Loir
- Layon
The Layon is shallow and warm, which creates morning mist, perfect for botrytis.
What style of wine is made in Anjou-Saumur?
Every style
What are the important AOPs to know in Anjou-Saumur?
- Anjou AOP
- Anjou Villages AOP
- Savennieres AOP
- Coteaux Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP
- Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume AOPs
- Saumur AOP
- Saumur-Champigny AOP
What type of wine is made in the Anjou AOP?
- dry to sweet whites
- red and rose made from any allowable grape
This is considered the “umbrella AOP”
What style of wine is made in the Anjou Villages AOP?
Dry reds only from Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon
What style of wine is made in the Savennieres AOP?
Dry to sweet white wines made from Chenin Blanc.
(Usually dry)
What is some of the best wine like from the Savennieres AOP?
complex, honeyed, and rich with age
What are two sub-appellations of Savennieres AOP?
- Coulee de Serrant (made famous by Nicholas Joly for biodynamics)
- Roche Aux Moines
What are considered the sweet wine districts in Anjou-Saumur?
- Coteaux Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP
What are some facts about the way wine is made in Coteaux Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP?
- Harvesting tries are mandatory
- Grapes are harvested later in the year
- Medium sweet to sweet white wine made from Chenin Blanc
What is the wine like in - Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume AOPs?
- dessert wines
- both located within the Layon AOP
- Botrytis affected Chenin Blanc
- Require manual harvest tries
- the richest dessert wine in the Loire
- Declassified in bad vintages
- high minimum RS content
What kind of wines are made in the Saumur AOP?
- Dry whites from Chenin Blanc
- Rose and red from Cabernet Franc
- sparkling wines from any grape varietal
What style of wine is made in the Saumur-Champigny AOP?
- red wine only from cabernet Franc
This is a light, bright, elegant floral expression of Cabernet Franc
What grape variety is allowed in Pays Nantais?
Melon B AKA Melon de Bourgogne, AKA Muscadet
What is the climate like in Pays Nantais?
- true maritime climate
- threats of frost and rot persist
- little fluctuation of temperature throughout the year
- The atlantic ocean is a major influence
What is the soil like in Pays Nantais?
- schist
- silica
- clay
- granite
What rivers meet the Loire in Pays Nantais?
Sevre and Maine rivers
What is a common winemaking practice in Pays Nantais?
aging wine in the bottle on the lees or ‘sur lie’
What is the most important AOP to know in Pays Nantais?
Muscadet sevre-et-maine AOP
What are the 3 subzones of the Muscadet sevre-et -maine AOP?
- Clisson
- La Pallet
- Gorges
*Wines labeled by subzone may not have ‘sur lie’ on the label
What are some other AOPs in Pays Nantais to be familiar with?
- Muscadet AOP
- Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP
- Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu AOP
