We’re now back to our regularly scheduled programming! Expect one of these every Sunday.
I am obsessed with the Loire Valley. White wines coming out of the Loire are among the best I’ve ever had. I blame a friend of mine for my obsession. He recommended The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste to me, which goes into great detail about the “terroir” of different regions and the characteristic wine styles present. We’ll save the Pandora’s Box that is “terroir” for another newsletter, but the book also recommends specific producers to try, which is where I’ve been able to see Sancerre shine and discover the beautiful reds of Saumur-Champigny.
A little background
The Loire Valley is the wine region that runs along the Loire River in North-ish west of France. Most of the region falls under maritime climate conditions, being so close to the coast, which means that it’s not as cold as other climates though is a bit more susceptible to humidity and pests. The central Loire - the eastern-most part of the region - is more continental, meaning four distinct seasons and a short growing season. All of this translates to delicious acidity in both whites and reds alike.
The Loire, much like other wine regions in France and around the world, is broken up into sub-regions called appellations, which are basically specific areas designated as protected wine regions under France’s Appellation d'origine contrôlée system.
Here’s a map from Wine Folly:
Another fun fact about the Loire is that it’s been a leader in the natural wine movement. What “natural” wine means is a topic for another day, but the region really embraced a return to the first principles of winemaking, and it’s easy to taste that in the vibrance of the wine from that region.
What to drink
I’m definitely not an expert. There are a number of appellations within the Loire Valley that I haven’t tried yet (for example, Savennières, which is famous for its white wine). This is also why this post is designated as “Part 1”. I have no doubt that I’ll return to this region with recommendations from other areas.
This picture is from my Vivino profile, which is the app I use to track everything I drink. Those seven Upper Loire white wines were accumulated in the past six months, while those Italian wines have been accumulating for the past three and a half years I’ve been using the app. Go Loire go!
I’m going to give some recommendations for two appellations, since as of now these are the ones that have stood out to me.
Sancerre
There are a lot of mediocre bottles of Sancerre out there, and due to that and its popularity at wine bars, Sancerre often isn’t taken seriously. I didn’t think much of Sancerre until I tried a few very specific recommendations from The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste, and this appellation became one of my favorites.
What is “Sancerre”? Sancerre is a place, not a grape, as France follows the Old World style of labeling bottles by the appellation they’re from as opposed to the grapes that go into the bottle. Wines in Sancerre are made with Sauvignon Blanc. The white wines are crisp, lively, and mouth-wateringly acidic, with stone fruit (apple, pear), softer citrus (lemon zest as opposed to lemon juice), and something that reminds me of the smell of rain on the pavement.
By far, one of the greatest bottles of wine I’ve ever had is Pascal Cotat’s “Les Monts Damnés” Sancerre. The evolution of flavor as you sip it is incredible. It’s not cheap at all, reaching the upper $60 range, but drinks like something much more expensive. Other excellent producers are Francois Cotat, Domaine Vacheron, and Domaine Pierre Martin.
Saumur
For Loire Valley reds, Saumur and Saumur-Champigny (a sub-village in Saumur) are doing delicious things with the Cabernet Franc grape. Lighter-bodied, vibrant, acidic reds very low in tannins (bitterness) give the wines a juicy, fresh-picked feel. While these wines are earthy (rain on the soil instead of the pavement), they’re also chock full of red berry notes, often with an undercurrent of blackberries/blueberries.
I’m a huge fan of both Domaine des Roches Neuves and Domaine Guiberteau for amazing Saumur/Saumur-Champigny reds. Both also make excellent white wines, but to me, their reds really stand out. Wines from this region generally aren’t super popular, so you can often find good deals on them in the $20-$30 range.
Resources
Throughout the post I reference The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste, linked to above, as well as The World Atlas of Wine, an excellent resource I mentioned in a previous post. Both are worth getting, but if you’re interested in doing deep dives on particular regions, I highly recommend The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste. It’s very opinionated and tackles the concept of “terroir” in an interesting way. At the end of each section, the book lists recommendations for different producers to try, to get an idea of the style of the region. It’s been incredibly helpful to me.
What I’ve been drinking
I’m going to mostly hold off on this since I’ve given some recommendations for Loire Valley wines, but I did want to mention one we opened recently:
Calcarius Orange Puglia was quite a treat to drink. Juicy apricot and tangerine, a little funky, and some jasmine notes on the nose. I’m a sucker for orange wine and this one did not disappoint.