Blog

Exploring the Loire Valley from my Balcony with #Winophiles

 

---

This month the #winophiles are embarking on a no holds barred exploration of the Loire Valley. Lead by Jill at L’Accasion, whose original invitation you can view here, the world is our oyster. As long as the world is the Loire Valley and the oyster is any one of the wines produced there!

Usually I don’t get to participate in the #winophiles discussions. Decent French wine imports in Turkey are kind of outrageously overpriced. However, one small good thing that has come out of the COVID pandemic for me is that I was able to take the WSET L2 certification course and exam online. In fact I just took the test on Wednesday! As part of the course, I went through the recommended wine sample list and sourced everything I could in Turkey. And then didn’t actually drink most of them. But that meant that I had some Loire Valley wines on hand to participate in this month’s #winophiles event!

The Loire Valley

The Loire Valley stretches across the middle of France and produces wines from one of the most diverse grape selections in all of France featuring Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Muscadet, Melon de Bourgogne, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Malbec, and Gamay. From Orleans in the heart of France, the Loire Valley stretches almost 400 kilometers to the Nantes near the Atlantic Ocean and encompasses a divergent range of climates. With such grape and climatic disparity, it’s necessary to divide the valley into smaller regions. Starting in the east, these smaller regions are: Upper Loire, Touraine, Saumur, Anjou, and Pays Nantais on the Atlantic coast.

Each region has its own specialty. The Upper Loire, especially the well-known Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, is Sauvignon Blanc territory. Next door in Touraine Chenin Blanc reigns but red wines made from Cabernet Franc have found their place as well. Saumur is a premiere region for sparkling wines, especially those made from Chenin Blanc. Anjou also specializes in Chenin Blanc, both sweet and dry styles while Pays Nantais, all the way in the west, does crisp whites using Muscadet.

Domaine Thomas & Fils “Grand Chaille” Sancerre, 2018

Located at the eastern edge of Upper Loire is Sancerre, famed for its Sauvignon Blanc wines. Closer to Burgundy than it is the Loire’s other main regions, Sancerre’s cool climate and distinctive soil types of chalk, limestone-gravel, and silex (flint) give its wines that vibrant citrus, herbaceous, and mineral edge we all love. Granted AOC status in 1936, Sancerre is most well-known for its white wines but also produces small amounts of red and rosé which received their own AOC status in 1959.

Domaine Thomas & Fils sits in the little village of Verdigny, not far from the city of Sancerre. They farm their flint soils biodynamically and ferment their wines with native yeasts. Wines then spend six to eight months sur lie with daily batonnage before bottling.

The wine poured a pale hay with citrus, lemon, pomelo rind, apple, crushed rock, and delicate pastry. On the palate it was medium-bodied with high acidity and alcohol (14% abv) and a very appealing, round texture with apple, lemon balm and blossom, and puff pastry flavors accented with a kiss of flint. Structured and vibrant with a lemony finish.

I served this with a pesto goat cheese tomato tart in Parmesan shortbread crust. So how’d the pairing go? Well, as my art director put it, they’re dating and it’s going well but they’re not soul mates.

Marquis de Goulaine “Les Champ des Vignes” Pouilly-Fumé, 2016

Also part of the Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé takes its name from a combination of Pouilly-sur-Loire, the village where the wines are made, and Blanc Fumé, the local name for Sauvignon Blanc. “Fumé”, as you might have guessed, means “smoky” in French. Sauvignon Blanc earned its nickname due to the distinct flinty aromas the wines take from the limestone, oyster shell Kimmeridgian marl, and clay soils. Granted AOC status in 1937, Pouilly-Fumé wines often display grapefruit and herbaceous aromas along with discernible notes of gunflint. Unlike in Sancerre, some vintners in Pouilly-Fumé choose to ferment and/or age their wines in barrel.

While Château de Goulaine, home of Marquis de Goulaine winery, is actually located in Nantes, it’s their Upper Loire Pouilly-Fumé that I found. While history on when the family began to produce wine commercially rather than for their own consumption is murky; the winery is considered to be the oldest European family owned business. And one of the world’s oldest commercial ventures. Now, this castle estate is one of the last Châteaux de la Loire to still be producing wine.

This was something of a mind-blowing wine for me that I would never have guessed was Sauvignon Blanc. A crisp wine that showed a rich character with notes of beeswax, pineapple, and gun smoke with acacia and almond blossom detail framing a core of honey. Firm acidity with medium alcohol (12.5% abv) and a long finish of honey and lanolin. This was beautiful.

Having expected something a little more on the bright and lively citrus side, I paired this with lemongrass and ginger grilled shrimp over lime-scented rice. It didn’t not go but overall the food and wine were more coexisting versus cooperating.

Domaine Champalou “Le Portail” Vouvray, 2015

Known for its rich, aromatic wines made from Chenin Blanc is Vouvray. Located in Touraine, Vouvray received AOC status in 1936. While just a little bit to the west of the Upper Loire, Vouvray enjoys a warmer climate due to ocean influences which warm up the valley soils. Sunny autumns encourage both over-ripening and noble rot. Combined with Chenin Blanc’s naturally high acidity, these conditions contribute to the grape’s incredible flexibility. Chenin Blanc, locally known as Pineau de Loire, makes everything from dry to lusciously sweet wines and sparkling cremant. Vouvray’s Chenin Blanc wines are also valued for their extreme longevity with wines able to age up to 30 years.

Domaine Champalou, certified sustainable and member of Terra Vitis, has several vineyards in Vouvray. Within its home vineyards, the domaine has its own special terroir: Le Portail. This vineyard, from which the grapes for my wine came, is a small clos clay soils over chalk. This contrast between top and sub-soil brings substance, roundness and structure to the wine. The grapes were fermented then aged sur lie (for about 18 months) in 500-liter oak barrels.

How herbal do you like your wine? Because if the answer is “a lot” this for you. Golden colored on the pour with aromas of pear, chamomile, and beeswax accompanied by compelling clouds of tarragon. Medium-bodied with high alcohol (14% abv) and a fresh texture slipping across the palate that delivered elevated flavors of tarragon, beeswax, and tangerine framed by a citrusy acidity.

This was the best of the three pairings. I accompanied this with “crab” and lemon thyme souffles. The lemon thyme and tarragon flavors in the souffle really made the tarragon/herbal notes in the wine sing.

Whaat everyone else is doing

Don’t forget to check out what the rest of the #winophiles gang discovered with their Loire Valley explorations and join us on Saturday, August 15 at 10 AM CDT/11 AM EST / 6 PM IST. Look for the #winophiles hashtag and follow along!

• Muscadet is Not Muscat, Gabure Bigourdane, and (Our Version of) Faire Chabròl | Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Thierry Michon and Domaine Saint Nicolas – Biodynamic Loire Wines #Winophiles |Savor the Harvest
• Savennières and Vouvray: Two Tastes of Loire Valley Chenin Blanc | The Swirling Dervish
• Sweet Wines from the Loire | Avvinare
• Made it to Dessert with a Vouvray | Keep the Peas
• A Vineyard Visit: Organic Clos du Tue-Boeuf with Thierry Puzelat and his Sauvignon Blanc paired with a savory summer tart | Wine Predator
• Turkey and Cabbage Skillet Recipe with Pouilly-Fumé | Cooking Chat
• Enjoying Summer Food with Chinon Wine and a Fun Book | A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cooking to the Wine: “Brendan Stater-West Saumur Les Chapaudaises and Chicken Thighs with Apples and Onions | Somm’s Table
• Summer Sipping: B&G Chenin Blanc and Crispy Baked Pork Chops | Our Good Life
• Montlouis-sur-Loire – 2 Rivers, 3 Zeros and some delicious sparkling wine #Winophiles | Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Funky Loire Pet Nat was born for goat cheese pizza | My Full Wine Glass
• A Crémant de Loire, a Vouvray, and a Rosé D’anjou – I’m all set for the summer #Winophiles | Chinese Food and Wine Pairings
• Touraine Chenonceaux in the Loire Valley – Where Wine and History Reign | Grape Experiences
• Wine Thirsty? That’s No Problem in France’s Loire Valley | L’Occasion