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John Alanis Certified Sommelier > Loire Valley > Flashcards

Loire Valley Flashcards

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1
Q

Loire White Grapes

A

Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Melon

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2
Q

Loire Red Grapes

A

Pinot Noir, Gamay,
Cabernet Franc, Côt (Malbec)

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3
Q

Location of Loire Valley

A

Sancerre is 126 miles almost due south of Paris, while Nantes is 239 miles southwest of
Paris. The distance between Chablis and Sancerre is only 56 miles.

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4
Q

Central Vineyards Bodies of Water

A

Cher River, Loire River

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5
Q

Touraine Bodies of Water

A

Loir, Cher, Indre, and Vienne rivers

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6
Q

Anjou Bodies of Water

A

Loir and Layon Rivers

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7
Q

Pays Nantais Bodies of Water

A

Sevre and
Maine Rivers, Lac de Grand-Lieu, Atlantic Ocean

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8
Q

Major Loire Valley Cities

A

Major cities from east to west, Nevers, Orléans, Blois, Tours, Poitiers, Angers, Nantes

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9
Q

Central Vineyards Soil

A

Kimmeridgian clay (called terres blanches, the same formation that
is found in Chablis), caillottes (fossils), silex (flint rich).

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10
Q

Touraine Soil

A

Tuffeau (limestone), clay, varennes (sand and alluvial)

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11
Q

Anjou-Saumur Soil

A

volcanic and blue schist in Savennières, sandstone and schist on the
Layon river, tuffeau near saumur, iron-rich limestone near Saumur-Champigny

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12
Q

Pays Nantais Soil

A

granite, clay, gneiss.

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13
Q

Loire Valley White Wines

A

This region makes more white wines than any other wine region and is second in sparkling
wine production to Champagne.

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14
Q

Loire Valley Wine Styles

A

The Loire Valley makes every type of wine from dry to sweet, sparkling, and sometimes
fortified (although this is not widely marketed).

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15
Q

Loire Valley in all regions is especially known for

A

The Loire Valley, in all subregions, is known for high acid whites.

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16
Q

Oak Influence in Loire Valley

A

This region has never had the financing or acclaim as Bordeaux, so they tend to use little to
no new oak and focus on varietal purity.

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17
Q

High Limestone content creates

A

The high limestone content of the region naturally creates wines with high acidity.

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18
Q

Loire Valley Red Wine Characteristics

A

Red wines tend to be medium-bodied and perfumed- lots of Cab Franc

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19
Q

Loire Valley Sauv Blanc Characteristics

A

Sauvignon Blanc classically grassy and mineral-driven,

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20
Q

Loire Valley Chenin Blanc Characteristics

A

Chenin Blanc will be
any style but with the characteristic lanolin, bruised apple, and chamomile notes (Chenin
naturally oxidizes easily and these notes will be present).

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21
Q

Loire Valley Sweet Wines

A

Sweet wines, botrytized or not, will have pure fruit characteristics and be aged in neutral
oak

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22
Q

Cremant de Loire AOP

A

can be white or rosé, and from any varietals except Melon.
Minimum 9 (Tony Romo) months on lees, aged 12 (Roger Staubach) months before release.

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23
Q

Rosé de Loire AOP

A

Dry rosé from any red grape variety in the Loire.

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24
Q

Central Vineyards Climate

A

a true
continental climate with cold, snowy
winters, and warm, dry summers

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25
Q

Two Major Grapes in Central Vineyards

A

Sauvignon Blanc
and Pinot Noir

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26
Q

Two Major Central Vineyards AOPs

A

Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre

27
Q

Pouilly-Fume Wine Styles

A

Pouilly-Fumé is for white wines only

28
Q

Sancerre Wine Styles

A

Sancerre allows red and rosé from Pinot
Noir, and whites from Sauvignon Blanc.

29
Q

Characteristics of Central Valley White Wines

A

The whites of these regions are steely,
herbaceous, and mineral-driven, but with
rising regional temperatures can
sometimes take on more ripe tropical fruit
and pineapple-like Sauvignon Blanc from
Bordeaux.

30
Q

Soil types in Central Vineyards

A

silex (flint), terres
blanches (Kimmeridgian clay), and
caillottes (stony, fossils)

31
Q

Famous producer of Pouilly Fumé

A

Didier Dagueneau

32
Q

Orléans AOP

A

allows Chardonnay and Meunier

33
Q

Orléans-Clery AOP

A

reds only from
Cabernet Franc

34
Q

Touraine Climate

A

continental with
oceanic influences, the winters are not as
cold as the Central Vineyards, and
Touraine tends to receive more rain and
humidity

35
Q

Botrytis in Touraine

A

This region is a major
confluence of rivers, creating numerous
pockets of different terroirs and areas that
are great for botrytis

36
Q

Three tributaries of Loire River in Touraine

A

Indre,
Cher, and Vienne

37
Q

Major soil types in Touraine

A

The major soil
types here are tuffeau or limestone
outcroppings and varennes (sandy
alluvial) which help the varieties maintain
high acidity, even in warm vintages.

38
Q

Styles of Wine in Touraine

A

vary from dry red and white,
rose, to off-dry and sweet wines

39
Q

Chinon AOP

A

dry whites from Chenin Blanc, dry reds and rosés from Cabernet Franc

40
Q

Bourgueil AOP

A

dry reds and rosés from Cabernet Franc

41
Q

Saint-Nicholas-de-Bourgueil AOP

A

dry reds and rosés from Cabernet Franc

42
Q

Vouvray AOP

A

Dry to sweet, and sparkling white wines from Chenin Blanc

43
Q

Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP

A

Dry to sweet, and sparkling white wines from Chenin Blanc

44
Q

Touraine AOP

A

Encompasses five villages that all make wine from either Sauvignon
Blanc or Chenin Blanc. Today wines have to be based on Sauvignon Blanc for whites
unless they are village designated. All red varieties are allowed for rosé, and each village
makes a different style red wine mainly from Côt (Malbec) or Gamay

45
Q

Anjou-Saumur

A

The climate here is more
maritime, with slight continental
influences. Rot is an issue from wet
springs and falls, and winters are cold
but without the same freezing
temperatures

46
Q

Grapes in Anjou-Saumur

A

Chinon Blanc (Pineau de
la Loire) dominates here with Cabernet
Franc

47
Q

Soils in Anjou-Saumur

A

blueschist, gravel, sand, and alluvial
with small mixes of tuffeau

48
Q

Anjou-Saumur bodies of water

A

The major
tributaries of the Loire here are the Loir
and the Layon. The Layon is shallower
and warmer, which creates the perfect
morning mist for botrytis

49
Q

Anjou AOP Wine Styles

A

dry to sweet whites,
reds, rosé, sparkling, and sparkling
rosé wines are made from every
allowable grape varietal. This is the
“umbrella” AOP either for mass
production or declassification

50
Q

Anjou Villages (and Brissac) AOPs

A

dry reds only from Cabernet
Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon

51
Q

Savennières AOP

A

dry to sweet wines from Chenin Blanc, some of the longest-lived
examples come from here

52
Q

Two AOP’s within Savennières AOP

A

Coulée de Serrant (made
famous by Nicholas Joly for biodynamics) and Roche aux Moines

53
Q

Coteaux du Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOPs:

A

medium-sweet to sweet wines (botrytis
infected) from Chenin Blanc.

54
Q

Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume AOPs:

A

Both located in Coteaux du Layon. The richest
dessert wines from the Loire, these are from Chenin Blanc and have high minimum residual
sugar requirements. Will be infected by botrytis, and declassified in bad vintages.

55
Q

Saumur AOP

A

dry white wines from Chenin Blanc, rosé and reds from Cabernet Franc.
Sparkling wines from any allowed varietal

56
Q

Saumur-Champigny AOP

A

Red wines only from Cabernet Franc

57
Q

Pays Nantais Grape

A

The Pays Nantais claim to fame is a light, high acid white grape that used to be called Melon
de Bourgogne- now it’s just called Melon

58
Q

Pays Nantais Climate

A

true maritime climate with little temperature variation throughout the year, and frost and rot can
be a major issue in the spring and fall

59
Q

Lees Aging in Pays Nantais

A

give the wines much more richness if they aged
it on the fine lees

59
Q

Bodies of Water for Pays Nantais

A

The major rivers that meet the Loire are the Sèvre and Maine, with the Atlantic ocean being a
major influencing factor

59
Q

Sur Lie

A

adding “sur lie” to the
labels if the wine was bottled directly off the lees between March 1st and November 31st the
year after harvest. If the wine is aged on the lees any longer (which some AOPs require) the
term “sur lie” can no longer be used on the label.

60
Q

Soils in Pays Nantais

A

schist, silica, clay, and granite

61
Q

Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine AOP

A

has three subzones: Clisson, La Pallet,
and Gorges

62
Q

Other Pays Nantais AOP’s

A

Other AOPs to know are the overarching Muscadet AOP, Muscadet Coteaux de
la Loire AOP, and Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP

John Alanis Certified Sommelier (19 decks)

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