Wset Advanced: Section 3/19 The Loire Valley

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The Loire Valley

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- four subregions: Centre, Touraine , Anjou-Saumur and Nantais
- there is no regional generic appellation such as AC Bordeaux or AC Burgogne (Rose de la Loire AC and Cremant de Loire AC is focuset in Anjou and Saumur)
- there is IGP, Val de Loire which covers the whole region, over 13 departments
- IGP wines is commonly single varieties such as: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay from whites , and Gamay, Cabarnet Franc and Cabarnet Sauvignon vor roses and reds.
- Wines have typical Loire characteristic, freshnes, light body and simple fruit flavour.
- anual production of PDO wines are 3 mil Hl , and put this ac region on third position aftr Bordeaux and Rhone Valley.
- 50:50 whites : reds

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Climate

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- Northen limit growing grape zone
- Central have cool continental
- Anjou (онжу) and Nantais (нонте) under affect of Atlantic is more maritime climate.
- Importand of vintage for maturation wines in bottle, canopy managemant gives good results for ripening.

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Chenin Blanc

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- responsible for great white wines from Touraine (туррен) and Anjou-Saumur (онжу-сомјур), dry and sweet, still and sparkling.
- even one bunch can be different rich level of ripeness, it can result with leafy armomas.
- Barely ripe grpe ( 11-12% abv potentional) is used for sparkling wines.
- Increasingly ripe berries, shrivelled (passerliage) or affected by noble rot is used for still wine.
- because of its natural acidity, ages well, and is more complex that should be consumed in first ten years.
- Young wines flavour can vary from fresh apple to exotic fruits depend of ripeness, also can express smoky mineral notes or orange marmelade under influence of botrytis.

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Melon Blanc

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- refered to Mucadet or Melon de Burgogne.
- neutral variety
- best wines have attractive green apple or grassy aromas with understated character making it food friendly wine.
- ripe early, have frost-resistence

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Sauvignon Blanc

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- vinified on way to avoid excessive herbaceous or fruty character
- fermentation in not too low temperature, may take place in old oak, is more restrain style compared with those producet in New Zeland

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Cabarnet Franc

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- ripens early, well situated in Loire
- wines can be fragrant and juicu, with low tannins and high acidity.
- sutable for drinking lightly chilled 13 C
- also used for rose wines

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*The Central Vineyards

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- Geograpicaly more close to Burgundy
- Severe winters and hot summers
- summer hail problem
- contain two famous subregions: Sancerre (сонсер) and Pouilly-Fume (пуји-фјум)

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Sancarre AC

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- makes the finest dry white wines on the Loire Valley
- very chalky, well-drained stony soil, rich with marine fossils like Chablis which is not too distant.
- vineyards are on the slopes around the river.
- most Sancerre wines are white make from Sauvignon Blanc.
- Traditional vinification is 600 lit oak vats slow fermentation, now most wineries are use pneumatic presses vith stainless steel temp. controled vats.
- village Chavignol and vineyard Les Monts Damnes have high reputation for wines that displays gun-smoky element and able to evolve in bottle, although most Sancerre wines are not able for ageing, this wines are not able through year in markets, small area, due of that price are high.
- 20% of wines production is red and rose wines make from Pinot Noir

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Pouilly-Fume

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- located across the rover Loire
- gently slopes
- similar soils, vines varieties, vinification, wines to Sancerre

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Menetou-Salon (менту-сало)

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- Kimmeridgian soil
- white wines from Sauvignon Blanc
- red and rose from Pinot Noir

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*Touraine (туррен)

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- crossing of maritime and continental climates
early spring warmth and drought continental summer
- divided on two main parts, W is red wine zone Chinon and Bourgeil, E is whites wines zone Vouvrau
- Touraine AC is generic appellation, stetches along flint, sand and limestone banks of Loire and Cher rivers
- Red wines is usualy make from Cabarnet Franc, Gamay and Malbec and dry white wines is make from Sauvignon ( rarely Chenin) Blanc.
- usually labeled as varietal wines (Sauvignon de Touraine)

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Vouvray (вуврре)

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- Vouvray is always white and make from Chenin Blanc
- still, semi-sparkling (petillant (петијо)) and sparkling style, from dry to luscious sweet in finest years,
- Many growers cut their cellars in soft "tuffeau"
- chalky limestone soil full of marine fossils and very porous afect to vine deep root system, also avoid bloating of grapes.
- High calcium content anables wine to retain acidity

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Chinon (шино)

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- producing most red wines
- three distinct styles of wine depend of soil
- lightes wines comes from sandy soil
- firmer-bodied wines comes from clay and gravel soil
- finest wine comes from hillside limestone soil, able for aging

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Bourgueil (бурргај)

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- vineyards Bourgueil AC and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AC is planted on limestone soil and deep sand terace of Loire river.

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*Anjou Saumur (анжу самјур)

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- warmer, damper winters and early spring with a longer and hotter growing season.
- equal producing of white, rose and red wines
- Greatest wines comes from vineyards located on south of Loire river.

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Saumur

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- white wines is made from Chenin Blanc range from dry to sweet
- Saumur-Champigny AC (самјур-шампињу), best local red wines made from Cabarnet Franc, rich, fruty and fresh
- as Chinon cellar are also cut in soft tuffeau
- also importand for producing sparkling wines

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Anjou

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- Anjou AC cover white, rose and red wines
- Importand varieties Chenin Blan and Cabarnet Franc
- Anjou Blanc, dry, made from Chenin Blanc, hand picked in successive tris with a minimum 13% abv potential which requires fully ripe grape. Fermented and matured inn new oak, bottle ageing.
- Grolleau (грролу) is found only in Anjou and is base to Rose d'Anjou or sparkling wines.
- Three appellations for rose wines,
- Cabarnet d'Anjou AC, highest quality, medium-sweet in style and made from Cab. Franc and Cab. Sauvignon.
- Rose d'Anjou AC less sweet and made from Grolleau and Cab. Franc
- Rose d'Loire AC always dry and must have 30% ov Cab. Sauvignon in blend.

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Coteaux de Layon (кото до лејон)

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- Botrytis develop,
- Coteaux de Layon AC, sweet wines, the style is fresh fruit character and mouth-waternig acidity, 12-14% abv, Botrytis present range greater or lesser adding body and texture.
- successive harvest
- Quarts de Chaume AC (карр ду шум) and Bonnezeaux AC (бонузу) world's greates sweet wines.

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Savennieres (савиње)

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- VT enable Late Harvested Chenin Blanc, full bodied, dry and complex wines
- as fine Vouvray this wines can evolve in bottle through decades and can build leyers of honey and smoky mineral flavour.

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*Nantais (нонте)

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- maritime climate, mild and short winters, warm summers, rainfall spread through year.

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Muscadet (мускаде)

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- main wine is Muscadet AC
- better known vineyards are in the smaller appellations
- Muscadet Severe et Maine AC (мускаде севрри мен), schist and gneiss with some granite and sand soil, good heat retention and drenage capabilities.
- Gobelet system, but inceasing wire training in order to machine harvesting, this alow growers do deleaf in the summer and make more concentrate and flavoursome wines.
- dry wines , max 12 abv, should be drunk young

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Muscadet sur Lie (мускаде сјо ли)

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- increasing commercial importance
- Lie on French is lees
- bottled in spring direct from thank where spent the winrter on its lees
- retain delicacy and freshness and may have fine bubbles beading on rim of the glass, Contact with lees gives more body and yeasty character also help to keep ist freshness in bottle
- Domaine-bottled, mobile-bottling lines.