These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.ĭiversity abounds in the Loire. Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away? As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. Generously perfumed and incredibly refreshing, this bottling suggests that, nearly 250 years later, our old pal Poupart may have been onto something. They ferment and age it only in tank and rack by gravity to preserve all the juicy, sun-ripened fruit and lively mineral snap conferred by this steep, limestone-covered hillside. Today, brothers Éric and Jean-Philippe Neveu produce a fresh-cut-grass-and-citrus-inflected Sauvignon Blanc of incredible precision from this site. It is perfectly appropriate, then, that the “Côte des Embouffants” is now under the care of the Neveu family, who has roots in the village of Verdigny-just half a mile from the vineyard-since the 12th century. In his 1777 history of Sancerre, the abbot Poupart wrote that “the Bouffants hillside is one of the best I know in our Sancerre area.” But when some rosy-cheeked monk or abbot-the wine bloggers of their age-singles out a specific plot, you know you have something truly special. A winemaking tradition as long as France’s is bound to produce a few historic vineyard sites here and there.
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