French Wine Buying Guide for Loire Valley
Buying guide for Loire Valley: so much more than Sancerre.
If you crave Sancerre, Vouvray and Chinon, you should buy tickets to go to the Loire Valley. This region’s wine history started around the same time as its southern neighbor Bordeaux and its eastern one, Burgundy. Remnants of tales and vestiges of buildings dated from the first century were found in various parts of the region. The most impressive fact lies in the 12th century: Loire Valley Sancerre bested even Bordeaux in terms of export to the UK. The regional paradox is that its most prestigious village, Sancerre, focuses on grape varietals that are not representative of the Loire Valley: Pinot noir for red and Sauvignon Blanc for white. Cabernet Franc represents, and by far, the lead red grape varietal produced in Loire Valley (either blended or single varietal), while Chenin Blanc is the predominant white grape (Vouvray, here we go!). Even knowing this, each sub region can have drastic differences in terms of varietals and styles. For example, on the Atlantic coast in the lower Loire Valley, vintners dedicate their production mostly to Muscadet, also known as Melon de Bourgogne: elegant and refreshing whites, ideal for product fished fresh out of the ocean. In Anjou, you can have an excellent sparkling method champenoise called Crémant, along with fantastic value driven rose and all kinds of white and red, blended, or single varietal. Then, going into Touraine, you venture into the famous villages of Chinon, Vouvray and other Touraine “Chateau sensitive” premium Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Gamay, Chenin Banc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. In Vouvray, only Chenin Blanc wines are granted the Vouvray label, and every variation of wines can be made from it: dry still, semi-sweet, late harvest and crémant. Once you reach the most famous of all villages, in the Center Loire Valley, Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, you enter the kingdom of Sauvignon Blanc, with the option of red and rose made from Pinot Noir (only in Sancerre). A fascinating region where wines are crafted in many ways with a wide range of grapes varietals.
From this region, always looking for farmers with a sustainable approach, we discovered Domaine des Pierrettes, owned by Gilles Tamagnan, not too far from Chinon and Vouvray, in Amboise (famously known for being the resting estate of Leonardo Da Vinci). His selection offers his unique take on wine made with all the notorious grape varietals of the Loire Valley: Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Gamay for his red and Sauvignon Blanc (his substitute for Sancerre Sen’s and his premium), and Chenin Blanc for his whites. What makes this winery so unique? Beyond its impeccable organic farming technique, Gille, a sitting professor in Biochemistry at Yale University, applies his scientific knowledge and expertise to prevent exposing his wines to artificial chemistry, and aim to turn his estate into a biodynamic winery.