Cms Loire

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The Loire River

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-- The Loire is France’s longest river and the last wild river in Europe

-- River is 629 miles long from the headwaters in the Massif Central to its mouth on the Atlantic Coast

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The Loire Valley

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-- also known as the "Jardin de la France"

-- Winemaking dates back to at least the 1st century CE

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At some point, the wines of the Loire were the focus of French society

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Loire wines have always been an important commodity in the cafés of Paris, and were exported via Nantes to England by the 11th century

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The Loire Valley produces more white wine than any other French region

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Second only to Champagne in sparkling wine production

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Main White Grapes of the Loire:

Chenin Blanc (Pineau de la Loire)
Sauvignon Blanc
Melon de Bourgogne

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Other White Grapes of the Loire:

Chardonnay
Orbois
Romorantin
Gros Plant (Folle Blanche) (Picquepoul Blanc)
Chasselas

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Main Red Grape of the Loire:

Cabernet Franc (known as Breton here)

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Other Red Grapes of the Loire:

Pinot Noir
Gamay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Malbec (Cot)
Pineau d’Aunis
Groslot (Grolleau)

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Pays Nantais

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-- This is Muscadet country: a cool, wet maritime region planted primarily to the Melon de Bourgogne grape

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4 appellations exist for the Melon de Bourgogne grape:

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Muscadet AOP
Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP
Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP
Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine AOP

-- To ensure lighter, fresher character, Muscadet wines show best at 12% abv or below

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Muscadet AOP

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-- basic appellation for Melon de Bourgogne, and the wines are neutral, bone dry to dry, high in acid, and designed for youthful consumption.

-- The appellation is seldom used, as most producers qualify for one of the other three sub-appellations

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Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine AOP

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-- account for over 80% of Muscadet production, are sourced from a collection of 23 communes near the confluence of the Sèvre and Maine Rivers

-- Offers—but does not promise—classic Melon de Bourgogne sourced from a range of complex soils including:

- gneiss
- silica
- clay
- granite

-- Nearly half of the Sèvre-et-Maine production is bottled sur lie

-- has 69% of Muscadet's vineyards, densely planted on low hills of varied origin, most notably of gneiss and granite

-- the heart of the district lies around Vertou, Vallet, St-Fiacre, and La Chapelle-Heulin -- the are where the wines are ripest, liveliest, and most scented.

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Muscadet (as Sur Lie)

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-- wine must originate from land qualifying for one of the three sub-appellations

-- Sur lie wines are aged on their lees over the winter, and are bottled directly off the fine lees (without filtering) between March 1 and November 30 of the year following the harvest. The process adds complexity, richness and a slight sparkle to the finished wines

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Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP

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-- more northerly appellation

-- wines are correspondingly leaner

-- In warmer vintages the area is an excellent source

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Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP

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-- the newest appellation, created in 1994

-- wine made on sandy, stony soils, is more supple and riper than most

-- The wines struggle to achieve quality beyond basic Muscadet

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“Hermine d’Or” / Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine

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-- an unofficial label term that promotes terroir and stresses ageability

-- Guy Bossard and other producers adopted this in order to create a badge of quality for the better wines.

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“Cru Communaux” / Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine

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-- designation proprosed in 2001

-- requiring eligible wines from specified schist soils to spend a minimum 18 months sur lie—longer than the actual sur lie term allows

-- In 2011, resulted in 3 subzones for Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine:

Clisson
Le Pallet
Gorges

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Elimination of the VDQS tier in 2011

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3 new regions in Pay Nantais gained AOC status:

Gros Plant du Pays Nantais
Coteaux d'Ancenis
Fiefs Vendéens

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Appellations of Pays Nantais

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Muscadet
Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire
Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu
Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine
Fiefs Vendéens
Gros Plant du Pays Nantais
Coteaux d'Ancenis

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Anjou

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-- Loire’s largest, most diverse and most dynamic region

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Anjou-Saumur

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-- Although Anjou and Saumur are often considered collectively, Saumur is an eastern sub-region of Anjou, adjacent to Chinon in Touraine. Together, they deliver every style of wine the Loire offers

-- Saumur is the Loire’s center for sparkling wine production; Anjou produces both sweet and dry interpretations of Chenin Blanc, known locally as Pineau de la Loire

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Grolleau grapes

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-- 45% of Anjou’s total production is devoted to rosé, dominated by these grapes

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Cabernet Franc

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-- 1/3 of Anjou's plantings are devoted to CF

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Anjou AOP

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-- a designation for red, white, and sparkling wines, is the umbrella appellation for the region

-- Many Saumur wines may be bottled as Anjou AOP, but not vice versa.

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Chenin Blanc

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-- slow to ripen, and in northerly climates like Anjou the grape will maintain its persistent, high acidity in the finished wine. Astringency from high levels of extract is also common

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Savennières AOP

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-- develop great complexity and honeyed richness with age

-- 100% Chenin Blanc and generally dry, the wines of Savennières are austere and rigid in their youth.

-- On the north bank of the Loire, Savennières enjoys a steep southern exposure and a unique soil structure composed of blue schist mixed with volcanic debris

-- 2 sub-appellations, long regarded as unofficial "Grand Crus" of Savennières, finally received their own AOCs in 2011:

Roche aux Moines
Coulée de Serrant (monopole of Nicolas Joly)

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Chenin Blanc / botrytis

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-- Chenin Blanc is harvested later in the season as producers hope for botrytis in the sweet wine districts

- Coteaux du Layon AOP
- Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP

-- Min res sugar 34g/l

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Within Coteaux du Layon

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Bonnezeaux AOP (Château des Fesles is one of the most respected estates in Bonnezeaux)
Quarts de Chaume AOP (Domaine des Baumard and Château Pierre-Bise)

-- these two appellations enjoy south-facing aspects in the communes of Thouarcé and Rochefort-sur-Loire, respectively, and often deliver botrytis-affected fruit

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Quarts de Chaume AOP

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-- 2010 - became "Grand Cru" from this year forward

-- Consists of a small band of sandstone and schist hillsides on the banks of the Layon River.

-- Protected from the prevailing winds and touched by morning mists streaming from the Layon, the small appellation is a good incubator for pourriture noble, and, like Sauternes, its regulations require manual harvests to be conducted in successive tries.

-- At 54 ha, Quarts de Chaume is just a few hectares larger than Burgundy's Clos de Vougeot AOP, and the appellation's total production each year is under 10,000 cases of wine.

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Coteaux du Layon AOP (7 villages can add their name to it)

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Beaulieu-sur-Layon
Rochefort-sur-Loire
Faye d’Anjou
St-Lambert du Lattay
St-Aubin de Luigné
Rablay-sur-Layon
Chaume

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Coteaux du Layon AOP (7 villages can add their name to it)

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-- Wines labeled by village must reach higher minimum must weights and are harvested at lower maximum yields.

-- At a minimum 80 g/liter of residual sugar, the wines of Chaume are exceptionally rich, yet complaints by the producers of Quarts du Chaume scuttled the separate, short-lived Chaume/Chaume Premier Cru appellation in 2009, sending the commune back into the fold of Coteaux du Layon AOP

-- In 2011, with the approval of "Grand Cru" status for Quarts du Chaume, opposition relented and the INAO again bestowed the status of "Premier Cru" on wines from the commune of Chaume

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Geographical Designations of Coteaux du Layon AOP

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Beaulieu-sur-Layon
Rablay-sur-Layon
Rochefort-sur-Loire
Faye d'Anjou
St-Aubin de Luigné
St-Lambert du Lattay
Chaume 1er Cru

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Anjou-Villages AOP

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-- some of the region's best Cab Franc

-- red wine appellation only

-- Anjou-Villages producers generally add Cab Sauv to their Cab Francs to make wines sturdier

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Anjou Villages Brissac AOP

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-- a more recent red wine appellation, covers the same ten communes that are authorized for Coteaux de l'Aubance. Gamay, vinified as the purely varietal "Anjou Gamay", produces the region's lightest red but may not be blended in standard Anjou Rouge bottlings.

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Saumur AOP

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-- red, dry white, and sparkling white and rosé wines

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Saumur AOP whites

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-- up to 20% Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc—a recipe indentical to Anjou Blanc

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Saumur AOP reds

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-- Saumur Rouge wines allow Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pineau d’Aunis.

-- Rosé wines are not authorized.

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Saumur AOP sparkling

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-- Over half of Saumur’s grapes are destined for Saumur AOP sparkling wines or méthode traditionnelle Crémant de Loire AOP. The latter offers the most promise, allowing blending across Touraine and Anjou-Saumur while permitting fewer restrictions on grape usage

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Saumur soil

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-- soft tuffeau limestone soils of Saumur resemble those of Touraine.

-- Near the commune of Champigny—the “field of fire”—the limestone is harder, iron-rich and inflected with shale

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Saumur-Champigny

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-- 8 surrounding villages may produce the red wine

-- a light, bright and elegantly floral expression of Cabernet Franc

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Haut-Poitou

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-- about 50 miles due south of Chinon and the eastern edge of Saumur, achieved AOC/AOP status in late 2011 with the dissolution of the VDQS category

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Appellations of Anjou-Saumur

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Anjou
Rosé d'Anjou
Anjou-Villages
Anjou-Villages Brissac
Anjou-Coteaux de la Loire
Cabernet d’Anjou
Cabernet de Saumur
Coteaux de l’Aubance
Coteaux du Layon
Bonnezeaux
Quarts du Chaume
Savennières
Savennières-Roche aux Moines
Savennières-Coulée de Serrant
Saumur
Saumur-Champigny
Coteaux de Saumur
Haut-Poitou (south of Saumur and Touraine)

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Touraine

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-- the Loire’s best and most ageworthy red wine has historically been produced in the two regions of Chinon and Bourgueil in Touraine.

-- Chinon AOP, Bourgueil AOP, and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOP set the standard for classic Loire Cabernet Franc

-- Brimming with raspberry and green tobacco aromatics and framed by silky tannin, the wines demonstrate remarkable terroir distinctions—especially in Chinon

-- All three appellations permit the addition of up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

-- Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil offer only red and rosé wines, whereas Chinon produces a small amount of white wine from Chenin Blanc.

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Touraine AOP

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-- As a whole, the Touraine AOP can produce charming—but just as often generic—wines from the local grapes.

-- While Chenin Blanc currently dominates Touraine white wines, a new encépagement mandates Sauvignon Blanc and a maximum 20% Sauvignon Gris, replacing the older style entirely by 2016.

-- Red and rosé varieties include—but are not limited to—Gamay, Groslot, Pineau d’Aunis and Cabernet Franc.

-- The Gamay bottlings are often sold locally as primeur, in the style of Beaujolais nouveau.

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5 villages allowed to append name to basic Touraine AOP appellation:

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-- Mesland
Azay-le-Rideau
Amboise
Oisly
Chenonceaux.

-- Touraine pétillant and mousseux wines are made, and a separate rosé appellation exists for Touraine Noble-Joué.

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Touraine Noble-Joué AOP

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-- Created in 2001

-- Recreates a historical style of vin gris, a blend of Gris Meunier (Pinot Meunier), Malvosie (Pinot Gris), and Pinot Noir.

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Chinon soils

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-- 3 types of soil:

tuffeau
clay
varennes

-- The sandy, alluvial varennes soils are closest to the river Vienne—a Loire tributary—

-- Whereas tuffeau is more common on the slopes
The vins de tuffe originating from these limestone south-facing slopes carry the most promise for depth and ageworthiness.

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Bougueil / St Nicolas de Bourgueil soils

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-- Bourgueil soils are divided between sand and limestone (like Chinon)

-- But St Nicolas de Bourgueil is situated almost wholly on lighter alluvial soils, with a corresponding lighter style of wine

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Vouvray AOP

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-- Touraine’s largest and most important white wine district.

-- The tuffeau limestone subsoil of Vouvray provided soft material for excavation, resulting in an impressive network of cellar tunnels running underneath the eight delimited communes of Vouvray.

-- GRAPES: Chenin Blanc; the rustic Orbois (Menu Pineau) grape is allowed but seldom encountered.

-- Vouvray may be produced in a range of sweetness levels:

sec
sec-tendre (off-dry)
demi-sec
moelleux
liquereux

-- The final decision on residual sugar is usually a response to the vagaries of each vintage, rather than a consistent stylistic choice.

-- Vouvray producers may also choose to make a sparkling wine, a successful strategy in cooler years. The sparkling wines are made by méthode traditionnelle and may be either pétillant or mousseux

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Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP

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-- formerly part of Vouvray, very similar in style to Vouvray wines and may be made across the same spectrum of styles.

-- Orbois is not permitted in Montlouis-sur-Loire

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Several outlying appellations exist in Touraine

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-- North of the Loire Valley is the awkwardly named Loir tributary and the Coteaux du Loir AOP. The red blends and rosés are based on Pineau d’Aunis and the white wines are exclusively produced from Chenin Blanc.

-- Chenin Blanc alone is bottled as Jasnières AOP, a sub-appellation and source of the Coteaux du Loir’s best wines.

-- Chenin Blanc from Jasnières is similar in style to Vouvray, yet often more green and herbaceous in character.

-- Northeast of the Coteaux du Loir is Coteaux du Vendômois AOP, a newer appellation specializing in dry rosés of Pineau d’Aunis

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Et al

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-- Cheverny AOP and Cour-Cheverny AOP are on the eastern edge of Touraine. Cheverny’s light reds are Pinot Noir- and Gamay-based, while the lean whites are dominated by Sauvignon Blanc. The local Romorantin grape is bottled varietally as Cour-Cheverny. To the south is Valençay AOP, a French appellation for both wines and goats' milk cheeses. Reflecting the proximity of Reuilly and Quincy to the east, Valençay's whites are predominantly composed of Sauvignon Blanc. Red and rosé wines from the appellation are based on Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Cot

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Appellations of Touraine

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Touraine
Touraine Noble-Joué
Chinon
Bourgueil
St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
Vouvray
Montlouis-sur-Loire
Cheverny
Cour-Cheverny
Valençay
Coteaux du Loir
Jasnières
Coteaux du Vendômois

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The Central Vineyards

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-- Loire’s Central Vineyards are a noncontiguous stretch of vineyards in the center of France, where the Loire curves from its northward path to bend toward the Atlantic. The climate is chiefly continental; cold winters and brisk days during harvest and budbreak bring the danger of frost and short summers do not assure easy ripening. Nonetheless, the Loire’s best Sauvignon Blanc vineyards are found here and Pinot Noir, while light in style, can be exceptional in warmer vintages.

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Sancerre AOP and Pouilly-Fumé AOP

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-- synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc. The two appellations straddle the river and provide the classic Loire style: steely, pungently herbaceous, mineral-laden Sauvignon Blanc made for youthful drinking. Vibrant but not lean, the best examples have subtle complexity and a focused, lengthy finish

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Sancerre AOP

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-- vines are planted on three main soils:

silex
terres blanches
caillottes


-- Terres blanches is a continuation of the same Kimmeridgian clay that extends into Chablis

-- Whereas caillottes is a stony soil, littered with fossils.

-- Silex has a higher proportion of flint, continuing into the communes of Pouilly-Fumé across the river, where a certain “gunflint” character is implied in the wines

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Didier Dagueneau

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-- The late Didier Dagueneau famously appropriated the “Silex” moniker for his Pouilly-Fumé “Grand Cru” bottling.

-- Whereas classic Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines are produced in stainless steel, Dagueneau and others have experimented with new oak in the winemaking process. The resulting wines can be more akin to white Bordeaux than classic Loire Sauvignon Blanc.

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Pouilly-Fumé AOP

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-- Whereas Pouilly-Fumé AOP wines must be white, Pinot Noir may be vinified as Sancerre Rouge or Rosé. These tend toward extreme lightness, and generally have less body and higher acid than even Côte Chalonnaise Pinot Noirs

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Pouilly-sur-Loire AOP

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-- reserved for wines made from the Chasselas grape

-- named after the central commune of Pouilly-Fumé

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Other appellations of the Central Vineyards

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-- Menetou-Salon AOP, a designation for Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The wines are similar to those of Sancerre.

-- Reuilly AOP, Quincy AOP, and Coteaux du Giennois AOP also produce varietal Sauvignon Blanc.

-- Coteaux du Giennois produces reds and rosés obligatorily blended from Pinot Noir and Gamay.

-- Reuilly’s reds are pure Pinot Noir; whereas the best rosés are the pale vin gris wines produced from Pinot Gris.

-- Quincy, a white wine-only AOP, is notable for being the second demarcated appellation in France—following only Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

-- Orléans AOP, promoted from VDQS in 2006, lies just east of Touraine and allows wines of all three colors, utilizing a large proportion of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, respectively, for its reds and whites.

-- Orléans-Cléry AOP, a sister appellation, is reserved for red wines produced solely from Cabernet Franc

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Appellations of the Central Vineyards

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Sancerre
Pouilly-Fumé
Pouilly-sur-Loire
Menetou-Salon
Quincy
Reuilly
Coteaux du Giennois
Orléans
Orléans-Cléry

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Other Appellations of Central France:


Châteaumeillant
Côte Roannaise
St-Pourçain
Côtes du Forez
Côtes d'Auvergne

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-- Several other wine regions surround the Loire closer to its source, and have little in common with the other appellations. The red and rosé wines of Côtes du Forez AOP and Côte Roannaise AOP are exclusively produced from Gamay and are similar to the lighter styles of Beaujolais. The regions themselves are much closer to Lyon and Beaujolais than the Central Vineyards. In the southwestern corner of the Cher département, the Châteaumeillant AOP also produces reds and rosés, principally from Gamay. Wines of all three colors are produced as Côtes d’Auvergne AOP and St-Pourçain AOP. The former is the southernmost and most remote Loire region, and the latter is just to its north, in the Allier département