Touraine Flashcards
Appellations of Touraine
Locations
NORTH of Touraine “outlying appellations”; Jancis maps this as “Upper Loire”
- -Coteaux du Loir-far north of Bourgueil and St-Nicolas de Bourgeuil
- -Jasnières-NE tip within Coteaux du Loir; far north of Vouvray and Montlouis
- -Coteaux du Vendômois- east of Coteaux du Loir and Jasnières
CENTRAL TOURAINE
- -Vouvray- Central Touraine, north of Montlouis and far south of Coteaux du Vendômois.
- -Montlouis-sur-Loire- South of Vouvray
- -Touraine- all over
- -Touraine Noble-Joué- Southeast of Vouvray and Montlouis
WESTERN TOURAINE:
- -Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil (NE)
- -Bourguiel (NW)
- -Chinon (South of both)
EASTERN TOURAINE:
- -Cheverny: NE corner of Touraine; SE of Orléans AOP.
- -Cour-Cheverny: Within Cheverny; NE corner
- -Valençay- SE corner of Touraine; northwest of Reuilly and Quincy.
What two regions (3 appellations) produce the most ageworthy expressions of Cabernet Franc?
Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
What river splits Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil in the north from Chinon
What river cuts through Chinon?
Name two other rivers that cut through Touraine.
Loire River
Vienne River
Indre River and Cher River
Chinon AOP
Styles and Encépagement?
Assemblage?
- Blanc: 100% Chenin
- Rosé: Cabernet Franc plus a max. 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Rouge: Cabernet Franc plus a max. 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
—Assemblage: Rouge and rosé wines may be produced solely from Cabernet Franc. If blended, Cabernet Franc must constitute the majority of the wine.
What are the three soils of Chinon?
Where are the most commonly located?
—Tuffeau-Limestone, more common on the slopes, most promise for depth and ageworthiness.
—Clay
—Varennes- Sandy, alluvial; Closest to the river Vienne
What are the soils of St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil?
Almost wholly lighter alluvial soils, with a corresponding lighter style of wine.
What are the soils of Bourgueil?
Divided between sand and limestone.
In Chinon, Bourgueil, and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil what is the only authorized grape besides cab franc?
Cabernet Sauvignon up to 10%
Cheverny AOP
Styles and Encépagement?
Assemblage?
—Blanc: 60-84% combined Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris
Complementary Varieties: 16-40% combined Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Orbois
—Rosé: 60-84% Pinot Noir
Complementary Variety: 16-40% Gamay
Accessory Varieties: Max. 25% combined Cabernet Franc and Cot (Malbec)
—Rouge: 60-84% Pinot Noir
Complementary Variety: 16-40% Gamay
Accessory Varieties: Max. 10% combined Cabernet Franc and Cot
—Assemblage:
—Blanc: Min. 50% combined Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris
Complementary Varieties: Min. 16% combined Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Orbois
—Rosé and Rouge: (Min. 85% combined Pinot Noir and Gamay)
Principal Variety: Min. 50% Pinot Noir
Complementary Variety: Min. 16% Gamay
Accessory Varieties: Cabernet Franc and Cot (Malbec)
Cour-Cheverny AOP
Styles and Encépagement?
Blanc only: 100% Romorantin
—Sec: max 8 g/l (max. 8 g/l if total acidity is within 2 b/l of the RS)
—Off-dry wines of more than 8 g/l may be produced, but they may not be chaptalized.
-Romorantin- Once quite widely grown in the Loire, it has now only seen in Cour-Cheverny. It produces intense, minerally wines somewhat reminiscent of Chablis.
Name the five subzones of Torraine.
Amboise “AM-bwas” Mesland “MAY-lon” Azay-le-Rideau “ah-ZAY la RE-doe” Oisly “WAH-yee” Chenonceaux “SHEH-non SOE”
In Chinon, Bourgueil, and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, which is authorized for red and rose only and which is authorized for all three colors?
Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil offer only red and rosé wines, whereas Chinon produces a small amount of white wine from Chenin Blanc along with red and rosé.
What is the largest white wine region in Touraine?
Styles?
Elevage?
Vouvray- also the most important white wine region of Touraine.
- Blanc: min 95% Chenin Blanc, plus a max 5% Orbois
- Vin Mousseux or Pétillant: Wines may not be released until 12 months after the date of tirage.
What is the subsoil of Vouvray?
What are the soils on the hillside?
What are the soils on the valley floor?
—Tuffeau limestone; provides soft material for excavation, resulting in an impressive network of cellar tunnels running underneath the 8 delimted communes of Vouvray.
—White Turonian chalk on the hillsides, with perruche (flint and clay) and aubuis (chalk and clay) on the valley floor.
What are the eight delimited communes of Vouvray?
Chançay “SHON-say” Noizay “NWAH-zay” Parçay-Meslay “par-SAY meh-LAY” Reugny “RUN-yee” Rochecorbon “roesh-COR-bone” Tours “too” light r sound at the end Vernou-sur-Brenne “VEER-new sur BREN” Vouvray
What grape is allowed but seldom encountered in Vouvray?
Orbois (Arbois or Menu Pineau) max 5%
What are the sweetness levels of Vouvray?
Sec: max. 8 g/l Sec-tendre (off dry) Demi-sec 9-18 g/l Moelleux: 18-45 g/l Liquereux: above 45 grams
Once part of Vouvray legislation; they are now universally applied in the EU.
Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP
Style and Encépagment?
Elevage?
RS?
—Blanc: 100% Chenin Blanc (Orbois is not permitted)
—Vin Mousseux or Pétilant: Must be traditional method; 9 months after date of tirage.
—Blanc “Sec”: max 8 g/l (total acidity must be within 2 g/l of RS)
Touraine AOP
Styles and Encépagement?
—Blanc: Sauvignon Blanc and max 20% Sauvignon Gris
**Until the 2016 harvest, white wines from Touraine AOP may be produced from Chenin Blanc, Sauv Blanc, Orbois, max 20% Chard and a max 20% Sauvignon Gris.
—Rosé: Min 2 varieties present, and no variety may exceed 70% of the vineyard.
Cab Franc, Cot, Gamay, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris, Cab Sauv, Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pineau d’Aunis
—Rouge: Min 80% combined Cab Fran and Cot (min 50%) Vineyards west of Tours have a min 80% Cab Franc.
—Varietal-Labeled Gamay: Min 85% Gamay
–Primeur Rosé/Rouge: 100% Gamay
—Vin Mousseux or Pétillant Blanc
—Vin Mousseux or Pétillant Rosé
Touraine Noble-Joué AOP “NO-blah SHJU-ee”
Styles and Encépagement?
Assemblage?
*Joué “to play” = pinot meunier
Encépagement
Rosé only:
Principal Variety: Min. 40% Pinot Meunier
Complementary Varieties: Min. 20% Pinot Gris, Min. 10% Pinot Noir
Assemblage:
Rosé only:
Principal Variety: Greater than 50% Pinot Meunier
Complementary Varieties: Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir
–Matt Stamp: “indicates a lighter color of rosé. In the AOP document it does not call the wines “rosé,” but rather “vin gris,” so in that sense you would be technically incorrect to call them anything else.”
Coteaux du Loir AOP
Styles and Encépagement?
Assemblage?
Blanc: 100% Chenin Blanc
Rosé:
Principal Variety: Min. 65% Pineau d’Aunis “DOE-knee”
Accessory Varieties (Max. 30% each): Cot, Gamay, and Grolleau
Rouge:
Principal Variety: Min. 65% Pineau d’Aunis
Accessory Varieties (Max. 30% each): Cabernet Franc, Cot, and Gamay
Pineau d’Aunis must be planted in a Min. 50% proportion of the vineyard until after 2013, a Min. 55% from 2014-2018, and a Min. 60% from 2019-2022.
Gamay may comprise over 40% of the rosé encépagement until after 2022.
Jasnières AOP
Styles and Encépagement?
Blanc only: 100% Chenin Blanc
Name three appellations the Loir river flows through?
—Coteaux du Loir
—Jasnières “ZHJOHN-yair”
—Coteaux du Vendômois “VON-do-MWAH”
Why is there so much variance in vintage for Vouvray from year to year?
How are styles decided?
—Influence of the Atlantic meets that of the continent here; the weather varies enormously, as do the ripeness and health of the grapes.
—Some years dry and austere, requiring many years’ softening in the bottle (although fewer now that sulphur is used more sparingly)
—more rarely a rich expression of noble rot, requiring several different pickings through each vineyard.
—Less successful vintages converted into very good sparkling w/honeyed character and aging potential; sets them apart from Saumur.
How does Montlouis-sur-Loire differ from Vouvray in style?
Often difficult to differentiate. Soils tend to be sandier, so Montlouis is stereotypically a little lighter and less intense, and more of it is destined to be made sparkling.
What are the numbers behind why it is economically more feesible to make sparkling wine in Vouvray over still wine?
As the permitted yield for sparkling wines is 65 ha/hl against 52 hl/ha for still wines it makes economic sense to opt for sparkling, which in any case carries less risk than choosing to make still wines, especially if you are looking to make demi-sec and moelleux (weather permitting).
