Touraine Flashcards
(52 cards)
General soil types in the larger Touraine region?
Touraine sits in the Paris Basin, where the diverse soils include tuffeau, sand, clay, and flint, and alluvial terraces also have deposits of gravel.
General climate description of the Touraine region? (Continentality + rain fall levels from western to eastern end)
The climate varies, becoming increasingly continental toward the east, with decreasing rainfall (650 millimeters annually in the west of the region versus 550 millimeters in the east).
Most planted white and red grape varieties in the Touraine region?
White: Sauvignon blanc (43% of plantings as Chenin Blanc accounts for just 7%)
Red: Gamay (most planted red variety with 21% of vineyard area followed by Cabernet Franc with 10% and Côt with 8%)
Amongst the 4 main regions of the Loire valley, in which one are blends most common?
Touraine (particularly red and rosé blends. Here, Cabernet Franc is joined by Côt, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Gamay)
In an effort to improve Touraine’s reputation, 5 small denominations have emerged within the AOC, collectively accounting for just 7% of Touraine’s production. List all 5.
Amboise
(Chenin Blanc is the dominant white grape)
Mesland
(Chenin Blanc is the dominant white grape; can be blended with a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay; small amount of rosé and red made using Gamay and Cabernet Franc)
Azay-le-Rideau
(Chenin Blanc is the dominant white grape)
Oisly
(small AOP for lees-aged Sauvignon Blanc grown on sand and clay)
Chenonceaux
(largest of the 5 denominations; white wines made exclusively from Sauvignon Blanc on well-draining slopes along the Cher River; stricter yields; gentle fruity red blends 65 and 80% Côt with a min. 10% Cabernet Franc)
Are the Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOPs allowed to produce anything other than red wines?
Both allow red and rosé styles, with Cabernet Franc dominating the final wines, though rosé accounts for only a small percentage of production (most Chinon producers make a rosé, a practice that has increased in recent years because of market demand).
Do Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOPs have the same yield restrictions?
Yes. Both require the same maximum yield 55 hl/ha.
What is the general location of the vineyards from which the finest Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil wines are produced?
The river is south of both appellations’ vineyards, and they are protected from cold northerly winds by a forested hilltop. The finest, most ageworthy wines are made from the vineyards that slope upward toward this forest on tuffeau-clay soils.
What are the soils like at the bottom of the hillside that covers the southern part of the Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOPs and what kind of wines do such terroirs yield?
At the bottom of this hillside, there is a large terrace dominated by well-drained sandy-gravel soils, which yields lighter-bodied, earlier-drinking wine styles in both appellations.
How has the specific location of both Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOPs contributed to their difference in reputation?
Most of Saint-Nicolas’s vineyards and just half of Bourgueil’s sit on an alluvial terrace. The rest of Bourgueil’s vineyards are on the chalky-clay soils of the hillsides, contributing to this appellation’s greater reputation for rich yet elegant styles that are longer-lived. Saint-Nicolas also has around 100 hectares of vineyard near the river on silty-gravel soils, further contributing to the region’s production of easy-drinking, fruity wines.
How do the vineyards planted on the chalky-clay hillsides of Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOPs help alleviate 2 of the region’s most important viticultural challenges?
Mitigates the devastating effects of both frost episodes and drought events in the summer that have become increasingly common (well-draining alluvial terraces suffer most here) while irrigation is not permitted per EU rules.
How do the chalky-clay hillsides of Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOPs influence picking time?
They are cooler soils and therefore picking generally beings later compared to those of the sandy-gravel vineyards which heat up quickly.
Serious and less serious winemakers alike in Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOPs tend to vinify their grapes according to soil type. Compare the 2 general styles produced associated with their respective soils.
- The sandy-gravel soils typically yield lighter, fruity styles; to emphasize these qualities, winemakers will ferment the grapes at cooler temperatures and extract gently to make an easy-drinking, light-in-tannin wine with little oak influence.
- For grapes sourced from the clay-chalk hillside, fermentation temperatures are likely to be a couple of degrees higher with longer maceration times and maturation in oak barrel.
Which AOP is the Loire Valley’s largest red-producing appellation?
Chinon
Chinon AOP allows for the production of both red and white wines. Does it also allows rosé wine production?
Yes
White wines in Chinon represent what percentage of the AOPs overall volume output?
Chinon continues to produce white wines from Chenin Blanc, but there are only 74 hectares planted, equivalent to just 3% of production.
Chinon’s vineyards extend from the confluence of which 2 rivers?
The Vienne and Loire Rivers
Where are most of the Chinon vineyards located with reference to the Vienne river?
Most are planted on the north bank of the Vienne river, as the north-facing vineyards of the south bank of the Vienne river were only added into the AOP when its borders were last extended in 2016 (to include 8 more communes).
Plantings can reach an altitude of how many meters in Chinon?
100 m
While as many as 50 different soil types were identified in a 1978 university thesis by Jacky Dupont, Chinon is best understood by its three main soils. List all 3 of them.
- Alluvial terraces made of sand, silt, and river gravels can be found on lower, flatter lands close to the river, as well as in the wedge of the appellation where the Loire and Vienne meet. Highly sandy, free draining soils that warm up quickly, make vines here bud and ripen early.
- Tuffeau mixed with clay, found on the coteaux (hillsides), where the vineyards rise upward, away from the river and the valley floor. This is where many of the appellation’s most prized vineyards are located.
- Generally found at the top of the hillsides, where sand and clay mix with flint. These soils, while not considered as prestigious as the clay-limestone of the coteaux, also yield high-quality wines.
How does the tuffeau on Chinon’s coteaux differs from the white chalks of Saumur?
Here, the limestone is yellow, unlike the white chalks of Saumur.
What is the name given to the wedge of the Chinon AOP where the Loire and Vienne meet?
The Véron peninsula
Name 3 of Chinon’s most prized vineyards located on the tuffeau and clay mixed hillsides.
Le Clos de l’Olive
Le Chêne Vert
La Croix Boissée
Le Clos de l’Olive and Le Clos de l’Écho are 2 monopole vineyards of which producer?
Couly-Dutheil
