Loire Valley Flashcards

1
Q

Name 4 iconic Sancerre producers.

A
  1. Pascal Cotat
  2. François Cotat
  3. Edmond Vatan*
  4. Didier Dagueneau*

*These producers have unfortunately passed away, but Didier’s son Louis-Benjamin now makes the wine at Dagueneau and Vatan had no heirs; Anne Vatan now makes the wines at Vatan.

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2
Q

Name 4 top Pouilly-Fumé producers.

A
  1. Domaine du Tracy
  2. Didier Dagueneau
  3. Cailbourdin
  4. Ladoucette
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3
Q

Name 4 iconic Savennières producers.

A
  1. Nicolas Joly
  2. Domaine des Baumard
  3. Domaine du Closel
  4. Domaine aux Moines
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4
Q

Name 4 iconic Vouvray producers.

A
  1. Domaine Huet
  2. Domaine François Chidaine
  3. Vincent Carême
  4. Domaine du Clos Naudin (Philippe Foreau)
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5
Q

Name 4 iconic Chinon producers.

A
  1. Olga Raffault
  2. Charles Joguet
  3. Bernard Baudry
  4. Catherine & Pierre Breton
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6
Q

Name 3 animal or fish proteins that pair well with Cabernet Franc.

Chinon, Bourgeuil

A
  1. Roast lamb
  2. Grilled salmon
  3. Seared duck

Any of these with herbs, beets, eggplant, or young goat’s milk cheeses.

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7
Q

Select a food pairing for each of the following sweetness levels of Chenin Blanc:

  1. Sec
  2. Demi-Sec
  3. Moelleux
A
  1. Sautéed seafood (fish or crustaceans) with lemon or with a cream sauce
  2. Roasted pork with apples
  3. Spicy Chinese
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8
Q

Name 3 animal/fish proteins that pair with Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Touraine

A
  1. Poached fish
  2. Oysters
  3. Fresh goat cheese
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9
Q

What are the four regions of the Loire Valley from west to east?

A
  1. Pays Nantais
  2. Anjou-Saumur
  3. Touraine
  4. Central Vineyards
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10
Q

Is the Loire River the longest river in France or the shortest river in France?

A

Longest river in France

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11
Q

Where does the Loire River start?

A

In the center of France in the Massif Central.

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12
Q

Where is the Layon River?

A

In Anjou-Saumur

See a map here

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13
Q

What is the climate of Pays Nantais?

A

Cool and wet Maritime

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14
Q

What is the climate of Anjou-Saumur?

A

Maritime moving toward Continental, humid

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15
Q

What is the climate of the Touraine region in Loire Valley?

A

Continental

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16
Q

What is the climate of Central Vineyards in the Loire Valley?

A

Continental

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17
Q

What are the two main appellations you need to know for Pays Nantais?

A
  1. Muscadet AOP
  2. Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine AOP
18
Q

What are the 5 appellations you need to know in the Anjou-Saumur region?

A
  1. Saumur AOP
  2. Saumur-Champigny AOP
  3. Savennières AOP
  4. Quarts-de-Chaume AOP
  5. Bonnezeaux AOP
19
Q

What are the 3 appellations you need to know in the Touraine region in the Loire Valley?

A
  1. Chinon AOP
  2. Bourgueil AOP
  3. Vouvray AOP
20
Q

What are the 2 appellations you need to know in the Central Vineyards region in the Loire Valley?

A
  1. Sancerre AOP
  2. Pouilly-Fumé AOP
21
Q

What is the main soil type in Vouvray?

A

Tuffeau

Tuffeau is a type of chalky limestone.

22
Q
  • What 2 other soil types should you know in the Loire Valley?
  • In which AOPs are they found?
A
  • Soil types:
    1. Silex
    2. Kimmeridgian Clay
  • Found in Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé
23
Q

Select the correct answer.

It is common to find botrytis in the two following Loire Valley AOPs:

  1. Sancerre and Vouvray
  2. Chinon and Muscadet
  3. Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume
  4. Pouilly-Fumé and Touraine
A
  1. Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume

There are a lot of rivers around these two AOPs so botrytis is common in both.

24
Q

Select the correct answer.

Muscadet is most likely going to undergo the following type of aging:

  1. Sur lie aging
  2. 100% new French oak barrel aging
  3. 50% new American oak barrel aging
A
  1. Sur lie aging
25
Q

Name the 4 styles of wine that can be made in the Saumur region.

A
  1. Traditional method sparkling wines
  2. Dry white wines
  3. Dry red wines
  4. Lusciously sweet wines
26
Q

Name the 4 styles of wine that can be made in Vouvray AOP.

A
  1. Sparkling
  2. Dry
  3. Off-dry
  4. Sweet
27
Q

Name 2 categories of sparkling wine made in the Loire Valley.

A
  1. Vouvray Pétillant
  2. Crémant de Loire
28
Q

What is the name of the white grape variety that goes into Muscadet AOP and Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine AOP?

A

Melon B (formerly called Melon de Bourgogne)

29
Q

In the Anjou-Saumur region, what is the main white grape and what is the main red grape?

A
  1. Chenin Blanc
  2. Cabernet Franc
30
Q

In the Touraine region, what is the main white grape and what is the main red grape?

A
  1. Chenin Blanc
  2. Cabernet Franc
31
Q

In the Central Vineyards region, what is the main white grape and what is the main red grape?

A
  1. Sauvignon Blanc
  2. Pinot Noir
32
Q

Describe each of these common terms you see on Loire Valley wine labels:

  1. Sur lie
  2. Sec
  3. Demi-Sec
  4. Moelleux
A
  1. Sur lie - wine aged on its lees
  2. Sec - dry
  3. Demi-Sec - half dry (a little more than off-dry)
  4. Moelleux - sweet

Click here to hear how to pronounce Moelleux.

33
Q

Who is Nicolas Joly?

A

The godfather of biodynamic wine.

He was born in 1945.

His family’s estate is located southwest of the city of Angers in Savennières, and the vineyards were certified bioD in 1981.

The family biodynamically farms 3 vineyards which they bottle individually: Clos de la Bergerie, Les Vieux Clos, and Coulée de Serrant, the family’s monopole.

34
Q

What are the soils of Nicolas Joly’s Clos de la Bergerie?

A

Primarily schist and quartz, but with deeper soil and milder slopes than Coulée de Serrant, allowing the maturity to peak just slightly later.

35
Q

What are the soils of Nicolas Joly’s Les Vieux Clos?

A

Schist and sand; this is their entry-level wine.

36
Q

What are the soils of Nicolas Joly’s Coulée de Serrant?

A

Shale outcroppings (schist) interspersed with quartz.

The site has remained under vine since the Cistercian monks first planted it in 1130.

37
Q

In what year and by whom was Domaine Huët founded?

A
  • 1928
  • Victor Huët
38
Q

What are the 3 vineyards of Domaine Huët?

A
  1. Le Haut-Lieu (first one purchased in 1928)
  2. Le Mont (purchased 1957)
  3. Clos du Bourg (farmed since 1953, purchased in 1963)
39
Q

In what 3 styles does Domaine Huët make their Le Mont, Clos du Bourg, and Le Haut-Lieu?

A
  1. Sec
  2. Demi-Sec
  3. Moelleux
40
Q

Who purchased a majority stake in Domaine Huët in 2002?

A

Anthony Hwang

Today, Anthony’s children reside at and direct the estate.

41
Q
  • What is the name of the dessert wine made by Domaine Huët?
  • What was its first vintage?
A
  • Cuvée Constance
  • 1989 (it is not made every year, only in exceptional vintages)

Cuvée Constance is their botrytized dessert wine selected from one, two or all three vineyards.