Loire Valley

Question 1

Loire Valley Varities

Answer 1

White - half
Rose - 1/4
Red- 1/5
Rest of it is sparkling / sweet

Question 2

Pay Nantais

Answer 2

Atlantic Coast
Cool, wet maritime climate
Compressed growing season. Not making wine that requires high level of maturity.
Gravel and sand over schist / granite. Shallow root systems, but it doesn’t matter because lots of rain.

MUSCADET

Main Grape - Melon B
Sur Lie Aging - technique of wine-making that adds richness. Let wine rest for extra 6-12 months to add complexity. Great with seafood towers.

Appellations:
Muscadet AOP
Muscadet de Sé re et Maine AOP

Area known for seafood, trading

Question 3

Anjou - Saumur

Answer 3

Schist transitioning to limestone
Maritime / continental / humid

White: Chenin Blanc
Red: Cabernet Franc

Question 4

Touraine

Answer 4

East of Anjou-Samur
Continental
Tuffeau - soft limestone soil. Underground caves. Great for aging wine.
White - Chenin Blanc
Red - Cabernet Franc

Chinon AOP & Borgueil AOP
Cabernet Franc-based
Dry red wines

Vouvray AOP
Tuffeau soil
100% Chenin Blanc
Sparking wines, dry wines, off-dry wines, sweet white wines.
Emphasize finness, elegance, fragrance.
Acacia blossom, lemon, peach, underlying mineralogy.

Question 5

Central Vineyards of France - in LV

Answer 5

Silex (flint) and limestone.
Kimmeridgian Clay
Continental climate

White - Sauvignon Blanc
Red - Pinot Noir
Cool climate grapes (ripen easily, don’t require as much warmth).
Some rosé

Sancerre AOP
sauvignon blanc, pinot noir
dry red, rosé, and white wines
Pouilly - Fumé AOP
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Dry white wines only
Flinty, gun-smoke aroma, mineral driven, distinct to Pouilly-Fumé
Great young, not much oak usually.

Question 6

Loire Valley Climate

Answer 6

Maritime (west) to Continental in East

Question 8

Muscadet Regions

Answer 8

Most important - Muscadet Sévre-et-Maine. Generally the highest quality wines in the region.

Question 9

Anjou-Samur Appellations

Answer 9

Savenniéres - Chenin Blanc, dry white wine, steep, south-facing hillsides, North of Loire River, slightly cheaper than other land in Loire, experiments in biodynamics.
CB here is more complex, less “fresh”. Dried apple, lemon, bay lauren. Great with blue cheese. Japanese food. More powerful.

Quarts-de-Chaume
Bonnezeaux
Humid, Late-harvest, botrytis-affected, Sweet white wines.
100% Chenin Blanc
Desserts, soft white cheese
Expensive

Samur - red, white, sparking, rose (very small). Chenin blanc, Cab franc. Dominance of sparking wine. Traditional method. Min time on lees. White and pink.
Warmth allows cab franc to uniquely ripen.

Anjou-Villages - red wine only - focuses on best site selection - allows to ripen to the degree required. Red on Schist can be tannic and aggressive. Address by leaving some residual sugar.