Loire Valley Loire Valley Known for its history

Loire Valley

Loire Valley • Known for its history, architecture and lush agriculture. – Many castles as summer homes for Royalty – Some of the best produce of France comes from Loire Valley • Great restaurants and farmers markets. • As far as wine – Very famous whites – Well known reds – Highly underrated dessert wines

Loire Valley Grapes • White – Chenin Blanc – Sauvignon Blanc – Muscadet • Red – Cabernet Franc – Pinot Noir – Gamay – Groslot

4 Regions of Loire Valley • • Pays Nantais/ Muscadet Anjou-Samur Touraine and the Loire Valley Central Loire

Muscadet Pays Nantais • Melon de Bourgogne • Actual name of the Muscadet grape. – Became popular by Dutch Traders looking for a light white wine. • Muscadet – Became favorite for local seafood. – Became the white wine answer to Beaujolais Nouveau – Best wines sit on lees • Mis(e) en bouteille sur lie

Classification • Muscadet – Generic Appellation • Muscadet des Coteaux de la Loire – Small area – Very rare in the United States. – Tends to be a little leaner, more focused • Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine – Biggest and best area – Along the Maine and Sevre rivers south of Nantes • Muscadet Cotes de Grand Lieu – New appellation SW of Nantes covering nearly half of the area that used to Muscadet – Most producers bottle sur lie

Drinking Muscadet • Drink young • Wine is a perfect complement to seafood – Raw as well as lighter white fishes. • Taste – Simple, Fresh, very dry, but firm and not an acidic finnish. – Better quality will have a nutty even a honeyed fragrance. – Very neutral wine

Anjou-Semur

• Famous for its rose • Chenin Blanc most used white grape – Grape has problems ripening in this area • Some Chenin used to make Cremant de Loire

Touraine • Very popular vacation spot for the high and mighty. • Very soft and mild climate. – Great agricultural area. • Home to Vouvray and Chinon • Majority of wine is local fresh and goes great with the local food.

Vouvray • Main grape is Chenin Blanc • Made from bone-dry to full and sweet to sparkling – Sec dry – Sec-tendre off dry – Demi-sec medium dry (unofficial) – Moelleux sweet – Petillant fully sparkling

• Weather varies from year to year – Vintages very important – Chenin takes heat to ripen so dessert wines not made yearly – Wines have a great fruit start finishing with a clean crisp finish.

Chinon • Red wine – Cabernet Franc • • Lighter style Strong black current notes Can age well and resemble that of Bordeaux Most have raspberry fruit with a chalk and earthy notes • Soil is varied – Grapes are picked and processed seperately and then blended together.

Central Loire • The most complex Sauvignon Blanc in the world – Caused by the combination of the limestone soil bisected by the river and climate. • Producer is important because of popularity of wine.

Sancerre • Sauvignon Blanc predominant – Soil has high levels of flint (silex) • Portayed in the wines with high minerality – Most are stainless steel aged. • Modern producers trying oak aging – Should be drank 2 to 3 years aging – Goes with Shellfish, good counterpart to buerre blanc – Drier than Puilly-Fume • Little Pinot Noir – Much lighter than Burgundian counter part

Pouilly - Fume • 100% Sauvignon Blanc • Dry wine with the most body and concentration of all Loire Valley wines. • Aged 3 to 5 years • Mostly steel tank aging • Food Pairing – Smoked Salmon – Stronger Fishes – Cuts through cream sauces very well.