Pays Nantais Flashcards
Muscadet
4 AOPs
- Muscadet AOP
- Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine AOP
- Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP
- Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP
Muscadet Sévre-et-Maine AOP
% of Muscadet production
80%
Muscadet Sévre-et-Maine
% of production bottled sur lie
Nearly 50%
Muscadet sur lie
Aging Requirement
Bottled btwn March 1 and Nov 30 of the year following harvest
Reason for sur lie
Adds complexity, richness, slight sparkle
- sur lie wines are aged on their lees over the winter, and are bottled directly off the fine lees (without filtering) btwn March 1 and Nov 30 of the year following harvest
Muscadet-Sévre-et-Maine
Soils
complex range of gneiss, silica, clay, granite
Newest Muscadet AOP
- Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP, est 1994
- Struggle to achieve quality beyond basic Muscadet
Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP
Year est.
1994
- Wines struggle to achieve quality beyond basic Muscadet
Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP
Location and general style
- More northerly appellation, LEANER
- Excellent source in warmer vintages
“Hermine d’Or”
- Unofficial label term
- Used by some producers in Muscadet-Sévre-et-Maine (Guy Bossard)
- Promotes terroir, stresses ageability
- Badge of quality for better wines
Muscadet-Sévre-et-Maine AOP
“Hermine d’Or”
Producers
Guy Bossard
- “Hermine d’Or” - Promotes terroir, stresses age-ability, badge of quality for better wines
Muscadet-Sévre-et-Maine
3 subzones introduced in 2011
- Clisson
- Le Pallet
-
Gorges
- More new crus may soon follow
- Although the min. length of aging for each subzone precludes the use of sur lie on the label, wines from these areas may become some of the finest expressions of the Melon grape available
Muscadet-Sévre-et-Maine
Number of communes
23 communes
3 regions in Pays Nantais that gained AOC status with the elimination of the VDQS tier in 2011
- Gros Plant du Pays Nantais
- Coteaux d’Ancenis
- Fiefs Vendéens
Fiefs Vendéens AOP
- Styles:
- Principal Varietals:
Fiefs Vendéens AOP
-
Blanc
- min 60% Chenin Blanc
-
Rosé
- min 80% Gamay, Pinot Noir
-
Rouge
- Cabernet Franc, Négrette, Pinot Noir
Gros Plant du Pay Nantais AOP
- Styles/Grapes:
Gros Plant du Pays Nantais AOP
-
Blanc
- min 70% Folle Blanche (Gros Plant) plus, Montils, max 10% Colombard
- Blanc “Sur Lie”
Coteaux d’Ancenis AOP
- Styles:
- Grapes:
Coteaux d’Ancenis AOP
-
Blanc
- 100% Pinot Gris
-
Rosé and Rouge
- 100% Gamay
-
Varietally-Labeled “Malvoisie”
- 100% Pinot Gris
***Blanc: 20-40 g/l rs
The Loire produces more wine of what color than any other French region?
White, and is also second only to Champagne in sparkling.
Authorized grapes for Cremant de la Loire:
- Chenin Blanc
- Chardonnay
- Orbois
- Cabernet Franc
- Grolleau
- Grolleau Gris
- Pinot Noir
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Pineau d’Aunis
What notable Loire grapes are NOT authorized for Cremant de la Loire?
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Melon de Bourgogne
- Romorantin
- Gros Plant
- Cot
- Gamay
What are the four AOP’s for Melon de Bourgogne?
- Muscadet AOP
- Muscadet Sèvre et Maine AOP
- Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP
- Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP
What are the major soil types in Sèvre et Maine?
Gneiss, silica, clay, granite
What are the requirements to label Sur Lie?
- origin in one of the three sub-appellations
- aged on the lees until at least March 1, and no later than Nov 30 of the year following the harvest (6-12 months, essentially)
- bottled unfiltered
What is the only Muscadet AOP north of the river?
Coteaux de la Loire, and the warmest of the three
What is “Hermine d’Or?”
An (unofficial) designation in Muscadet granted to wines that express minerality, ageability, and typicity (think Cru Bourgeois).