The Loire Valley - Anjou-Saumur and Touraine - Grape varieties
5 important questions on The Loire Valley - Anjou-Saumur and Touraine - Grape varieties
What are the principal grape varieties in the Middle Loire?
- Chenin Blanc for dry off-dry and sweet white wines
- Cabernet Franc for red wines and as a contributor to Rosé
- Sauvignon Blanc is the key white variety in Touraine
Chenin Blanc - Grape Growing
- Buds early making it prone to spring frosts
- Vigorous grape variety and if allowed can carry high yields
- Prone to Powdery Mildew, botrytis bunch, trunk diseases
- (possitive effect of botrytis for making sweet wines
- It ripens late vulnerable to the onset of autmn rains
- Chenin Blanc ripens unevenly for the best quality it has to be picked on several passes through the vineyard pickubg by hand are necessary adding to costs.
Chenin Blanc - style
- Chenin blanc is the dominant grape variety in the middle Loire where it produces a wide range of styles, sparkling wine, dry, off dry and sweet wines.
- Dry and off dry wines have medium intensity aromas of green apple and lemon (sometimes with a steely smoky character) medium alcohol, and noticeable high acidity often balanced with some residual sugar for an off dry style
- Typically good to very good in quality and in expensive to mid-pirced with some outstanding and premium priced options
- Outstanding quality producer eg Domaine Huet
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Cabernet Franc - grape growing
- Cabernet Franc is an early budding variety making it prone to spring frost
- It is also prone to coulure and therefore reduction in yields
- Mid - ripening variety - it can often be picked before autumn rains begin
- Its winter hardy - good variety for cool areas
- If not ripened fully it can taste excessive leafy/herbaceous - better canopy management avoiding dense canopies (leaf removal)
Cabernet France -Style
- In the middle Loire CF wines typically have medium to pronounced red fruit (redcurrant, raspberry) floral (violet) and leafy aromas. A light to medium body, medium tannins and high acidity
- In the Loire valley CF used to make single varietal wines or part of rose blend
- Eastern Touraine ripens fully it can be blended with Cot
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