Well I didn’t expect to be this far behind in my blogs, but spending over a month in Hawaii and poor health in the reminder of December sure helped. All the same the wines of Loire Valley are timeless so forgive me as I try to catch up.
Loire Regional Wines
While I was enjoying a very good Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc at the Powerhouse Eatery in the Pocono Mountains, I realized I hadn’t covered wines from this region in some time so I’m fixing that now.
I know, you’re thinking eatery? Well in this case it ended up being a great fine dining experience. This was a restored power house of brick and stone, with the smokestack looming over the edifice. The founder, John Scalleat, also used this technique to redo the White Haven Sanatorium. Now there’s a real repurposing for you. The Eatery menus even had a cover page describing many of the power machines used in that era. And, of course, they had a very good wine list, and cold shucked oysters.
My first-time visiting France in the 90s, I loved the Muscadet wines of the Loire Valley. In fact, they are still some of my favorite seafood wines. The Loire Valley is known more for its whites and Rose wines, but the warmer weather has also produced many off the radar reds worth checking out.
Loire Valley Geography
The Loire Valley spans 174 miles and is a valley located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. The Loire River at 625 miles is the largest in France. The area of the Loire Valley comprises about 500 square miles so this is one big valley. The river empties into the Atlantic; the port of Nantes is 30 miles upriver. There are four geographically-defined regions within the valley, and each produces its own unique wines. Check out: www.experienceloire.com/loire-valley-wines
- In the past, the Loire was navigable for shipping, so wines were known for centuries
- The Atlantic and the rivers have a significant impact on terroir
- Northern France weather; slightly north and west of Burgundy and warmer of late
- 185,000 acres under vine; 2/3 size of Bordeaux, 700 years of winemaking
- Loire wines defined by bracing acidity and food pairing ability
- Red grapes: Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Grolleau, and Pinot Noir
- White Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne, Chenin Blanc
Lower Loire
This is the northwestern area encompassing Nantes. Lower refers to where the river terminates at the Atlantic. This is home to Muscadet which often captures the scent of the sea in its best wines. Melon de Bourgogne, or simply Melon is the grape used to make these wines.
- Muscadet, Sevre-et-Maine is a key area, near the ocean, best done sur lie, 32,000 acres.
- Sur lie, or stirring the lees, is a process of using a big wooden paddle to stir the must in the tank to continually enrich the wines. Eventually the lees settle out or are filtered.
Middle Loire- Saumur-Anjou
The portion of the river between Angers and Tours is the middle Loire. Both red and white wine grapes are located here and many of its most famous wines. This region is further sub-divided into the Saumur-Anjou to the west and the Touraine further east. This subregion produces sweet, dry, sparkling red, rose, and white wines.
Saumur-Champigny is a dynamic appellation made up of 3,900 acres just southeast of the castle town of Saumur. It reflects the changes that Loire Valley Cabernet Franc has undergone over the last 25 years. In part a benefit of climate change that extends the growing season to fully ripen the fruit.
Once the source of low-alcohol wines for Paris bars, Saumur-Champigny now produces rich, pure expressions with complexity allied to wonderfully pure red-fruit cores.
- Leading wines: Rose d’ Anjou, Saumur-Champigny, Savenniéres
- Savenniéres produces some of the best Chenin Blanc in the world. (If you’ve only had California Chenin Blanc, you really haven’t had Chenin Blanc.)
- Clos de la Coulee de Serrant, single vineyard, $100 a bottle
- Rose d’ Anjou, from Grolleau and Gamay grapes are rich, off-dry wines
- Saumur is the main source of sparkling wines outside Champagne: Crémant de Loire
For your consideration: Reserve des Vignerons Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc
An aromatic red produced from 100% Cabernet Franc, with juicy notes of blackcurrant and blackberry supported by crisp notes of herb. Total Wine website
“Medium-intensity nose. A mix of red fruits–cherries and raspberries. Around the edges is a little bit of spicy tobacco. On the palate, those red fruits carry through and are quite fresh and juicy tasting with medium-plus acidity. Medium tannins are present but not biting and are balanced well by the medium bodied fruit. The moderate finish brings back the tobacco spice as well as savory fennel notes.”
Spit Bucket.net website
Middle Loire-Touraine
This subregion surrounds the city of Tours and follows the river’s northern excursion to the city of Orléans before it heads south. This is Jean D’Arc country as she was known as the Maid of Orléans and led her army to capture the city in a major battle despite being wounded.
- Cabernet Franc: Chinon, Bourgueuil, St. Nicolas-de-Bourgueuil are all known for elegant, age-worthy wines.
- Vouvray Chenin Blanc wines are dry to sweet and sparkling, richly flavored and honeyed.
- The monks of Bourgueuil Abby planted Cabernet Franc in the 10th century. Mid-slope wines are the biggest, lower slope the brightest fruit.
- Saint-Nicolas vineyards are mainly on the sand and gravel alluvial plain of the Loire’s north banks. These sites produce the lightest style of Cabernet Franc from the four appellations.
Centre Loire Valley
The Centre Loire drops back to the latitude of the Touraine. The Cher River, not related to the singer, is a tributary of the Loire that feeds the more western areas of Quincy and Reuilly. Sancerre and Pouilly Fume face each other across the Loire River to the east, nearly 300 miles from the Atlantic. These are all Sauvignon Blanc-based wines.
- Sauvignon Blanc wines are all racy gunflint, herbal with smoky flavors.
- Sauvignon comes from the French sauvage meaning wild
For your consideration: Thierry Delaunay Sauvignon Blanc – Le Grand Ballon
The Delaunay vineyards are located on the banks of the Cher River. This is a great entry wine and less expensive than the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume wines. This was the wine I had at the Powerhouse Eatery.
Thierry Delaunay’s 21 hectares of vines lay smack dab in the middle of Touraine. The Delaunay family has been tending the land for 5 generations. In addition to growing their own estate fruit, Thierry purchases grapes from local growers for the easy-on-the-wallet line of “Le Grand Ballon” grapes. The name refers to the ubiquitous hot air balloons that float over the fancy châteaux of the Loire Valley.
From the tech sheet: Vinification and Élevage: Gentle pressing of the grapes followed by temperature controlled fermentation in tank. Aging on lees for 3-6 months in tank.
Tasting Notes: Pale gold with green highlights Pronounced, expressive and complex nose – exotic fruits, blackcurrant buds, grapefruit, peach – as well as some floral notes. Well-balanced, long and rich on the palate. Seductively fresh and fruity.
I didn’t realize while I was enjoying this wine that the name, the grand balloon, is because balloons are popular there as here in Albuquerque.
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