The Loire Valley
France’s Loire River — the longest river in France & the 3rd longest river in Europe — runs north from Mont Gerbier de Jonc in the Massif Central (see diamond above on the map) turning west about half way and heading to the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The second half, the east-west portion of the river from Sancerre to Saint-Nazaire, the town at the Loire estuary (and what you see in green above), is what’s called the Loire Valley.
The Loire Valley is known for 2 main things: gorgeous châteaux located along the river and amazing (primarily) white wines.
The châteaux — nearly 300 of them — range from 10th century fortifications to royal castles built 500 years later.* When I was a kid, my family lived in Brussels, Belgium, and I remember one summer (1975?) driving through the Loire Valley with my parents, grandparents (visiting from Texas), and 2 little sisters all piled into a green, second-hand Volvo station wagon (the 3 kids were in a little seat facing out the back window… don’t ask where the luggage was, I have no idea, and certainly seatbelts were nowhere to be found!)… but what I do remember is the river (it’s big!) and the castles (fantastical), and we kept stopping on the side of the road to get fresh cherries at little stands where they’d fill a paper cone full of the luscious things! Bottom line: Go if you can! It’s an amazing place!
* Credit for Loire Valley details & chateau photos>
We’re going to indulge in a wine tour of the Loire Valley, moving east (inland) from the Atlantic to Sancerre (and then a little further still), starting with:
LOWER LOIRE
MUSCADET
Per the photos above, this western most region known as the Lower Loire comprises vineyards around the Loire River where it runs into the Atlantic Ocean. The vineyards are at sea level and have a maritime climate (cooler and wetter than inland), and perfect for the Melon de Bourgogne grape — a grape known for its light, fresh, citrusy minerality. But few people know the name of the grape. The wine is simply known as Muscadet (which is actually a subregion). It’s a world class oyster wine, and that’s what you’d enjoy it with if you were there.
We recommend:
Louis Métaireau 2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine • Loire Valley, France • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39
Not your garden variety Muscadet. Pear, quince, herbal notes, crushed stones. On the palate, yellow plums, apples, pear. A little fuller from sitting on the lees. Very minerally finish. Wonderful wine – to sip or with seafood (classic), but it held up to spicy chorizo sausage with no problem whatsoever.
Batard Langelier 2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine• Loire Valley, France • Reg $18.99 | Mixed Case $15.19
Kind of minerally on the nose. Seashells. Stone fruit. Aged on the lees = richer-style. Add in apple-pear-citrus on the palate. Absolutely great, prickly acidity. Long, pleasantly dry finish. Terrific Muscadet. Oysters. Crustaceans. Sip.
MIDDLE LOIRE
ANJOU-SAUMUR
Heading east from Muscadet, the next region is Anjou-Saumur (lime green on the map).
Anjou grows a fruity Chenin Blanc best known for its use in dessert wines. As well, the region produces an off-dry rosé with its own AOC: Rosé d'Anjou. If you like a sweeter-style rosé, this would be a good pick, though not easy to find in Seattle.
Saumur is known for Chenin Blanc & Cabernet Franc. If you find Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in Seattle, chances are it's from Saumur. Think full, spicy fruit on the nose — lighter & minerally on the palate. Lovely wine if you haven't ever tried it!
We recommend:
Vignerons de Saumur 2020 Blanc Les Epinats • Loire Valley, France • Reg $17.99 | Mixed Case $14.39
Nose of quince, white plums, creamy lemon. Palate is drier. Citrus & minerals. Great acidity. Enjoy with spicy Asian dishes, warm grain salads, seafood. Note: this wine is currently out of stock. We hope it comes back soon.
WINE LANDS AROUND TOURS
A good portion of the famous chateaux are around Tours. Pictured from west to east: Chateau Azay le Rudeau (abpve), Chateau Villandry (middle left), Château de Chenonceau (middle right), Château de Cheverny (bottom left), and Château de Chambord (bottom right). Around the chateaux are the wine regions listed below:
CHINON • VOUVRAY • TOURAINE
Chinon is home to a lighter in body, dry, minerally Cabernet Franc that’s a little bit like drinking a glass of dirt, and we say that with all fondness. We direct imported a wonderful example from a winery called Alpha Loire back in the day (2011-2012). If you see their work, try some. It’s terrific.
Vouvray, a small appellation just to the east of Tours, is home to Chenin Blanc. It produces an array of styles from dry to quite sweet. We recommend:
Château Valmer 2020 Vouvray• Loire Valley, France • Reg $18.99 | Mixed Case $15.19
100% Chenin Blanc. Stone fruit, white flowers & spice on the nose. Fresh peach, apricot preserves on this luscious wine. Softly dry finish. Winemaker says to enjoy with: oysters, crab, shrimp, lobster, crayfish, grilled salmon, sea bass, perch filets, roasted turbot. Apricot tart. Gardens at the estate pictured
Domaine Jacky Marteau (Touraine) — working in the vineyards
Touraine is the heart of the chateaux drive, and it’s also the heart of delicious, everyday Sauvignon Blanc. Known for its citrus fruit, grassy notes and bright acidity, these wines are made for food: chèvre (acidic goat cheeses), asparagus, seafood of all sorts, rotisserie chicken, and more. Touraine also produces a bright, red-fruited Gamay (and some other varietals as well), but in much lower quantities than its Sauvignon.
CENTRAL LOIRE
Village of Sancerre on the hill in the background — Photo credit>
Five hours inland from the Atlantic and with a steady, slow climb to about 1100 meters above sea level, you hit the Central Loire. The chateaux are behind you at this point, but the land of wine prestige is in front of you: Sancerre and its neighbors — Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou Salon, Quincy, Reuilly & more. The land is pastoral. The soils are chalky, flinty, minerally. The climate is continental, so hot in summer and snowy-cold in winter. The region is renowned for the finest Sauvignon Blanc in the world. They also produce a delicious, lighter-bodied, minerally Pinot Noir that’s fabulous.
QUINCY & REUILLY
In 1936, Quincy became the first AOC in the Loire Valley and the second in France (after Châteauneuf-du-Pape). It's located to the west of the town of Borges near the Cher River, a tributary of the Loire River. It has chalky soils with warmer, comparatively dry summers and colder winters than the regions closer to the Atlantic.
Sharing a border with AOC Quincy to the north, AOC Reuilly has sandy-gravelly and clay-limestone soils and is one of the driest regions in the Loire Valley, which makes for refreshing Sauvignon Blanc. This area also grows Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris which is often used to make orange wine.
Domaine de Bigonneau 2023 Quincy • Loire Valley, France • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
100% Sauvignon Blanc from AOC Quincy (eastern Loire Valley near Sancerre). "This is a soft wine, full of ripe apple and white currant fruit flavors. It’s fresh , but also has a steely edge that gives a strong texture." –importer's notes. We agree. It's soft, fresh, minerally, and elegant. Not overly fruity. Lovely wine and half the price of Sancerre. Owner/winemaker Virginie Bigonneau pictured.
POUILLY-FUMÉ
Located across the Loire River from Sancerre, this appellation is known for soils similar to Sancerre (Kimmeridgian marl, hard limestone and flint clay) but with a special smoky note (= Fumé in the name) from its mineral constellation.
Château Favray 2021 Pouilly-Fumé • Loire Valley, France • Reg $31.99 | Mixed Case $25.59
100% Sauvignon Blanc from Pouilly-Fumé, neighbor to Sancerre. Floral, stone fruit, minerals on the nose. Luscious, round, grapefruit, citrus, stone fruits. Super balanced. Concentrated. Then it curves around for a nice, dry, minerally finish. Beautiful wine. Pictured: Augustin David, makes the Fauvray wines with his dad. Estate vineyards pictured above.
SANCERRE
Henri Bourgeois — Sancerre
Finally, you have reached Sancerre, home to the fanciest Sauvignon Blanc on the planet. Often people who think they don’t like Sauvignon Blanc, love Sancerre (just ask my mom!). Known for its subdued citrus fruit flavors and licking-a-rock minerality, it’s an amazing wine. 80% of wines from Sancerre are Sauvignon Blanc. The rest is red & a small amount of rosé made from Pinot Noir.
Fun fact: “The town of Sancerre lies on an outcrop of the chalk that runs from the White Cliffs of Dover down through the Champagne and Chablis.” credit>
Here are Sancerre wines we currently have on offer. The 4 estates are located 4 kilometers apart, northwest of Sancerre:
Jean-Marc et Romain Pastou 2023 Sancerre • Loire Valley, France • Reg $39.99 | Mixed Case $31.99
Beautiful, softer-style Sancerre. Floral and minerally, earthy notes and pear on the nose. Hint of grapefruit. Acidity is beautiful. It's what makes this wine so great. Complex. Pears, apple, citrus, mineral, grapefruit on the palate. Delicious wine. Jean-Marc and Romain Pastou pictured above.
Etienne Daulny 2023 Sancerre • Loire Valley, France • Reg $39.99 | Mixed Case $31.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc from the famous high-end region of Sancerre. White grapefruit, crunchy white peach, unripe pear. Fresh stones. Crisp, racy finish. Seafood. Goat cheese. Poultry. Owner/winemaker Etienne Daulny pictured.
Régis Jouan 2022 Sancerre • Loire Valley, France • Reg $33.99 | Mixed Case $27.19
100% Sauvignon Blanc. Minerally, wet stone on the nose. Softer on the mid-palate. Creamy. Medium-bodied. Pleasant acidity. Flavors of citrus fruits & flint. Long, pleasant finish with an herbal note. Great with raw oysters, mussels, clams, halibut, cod. Also great with acidic cheeses such as chèvre. Or just enjoy as an aperitif.
Elisa Gueneau 2023 Sancerre • Loire Valley, France • Reg $41.99 | Mixed Case $33.59
100% fancy, French Sauvignon Blanc. Grassy with exotic tropical fruit, grapefruit, citrus. Classic, minerally, beautifully-crafted Sancerre. Elisa Gueneau pictured above with her dad.
Upper Loire
Finally, we’ll end this tour with the small, lesser-known appellations of the Upper Loire (Saint-Pourçain, Côtes d’Auvergne, Côtes du Forez, and Côte Roannaise), which are interestingly enough, almost as close to Beaujolais than they are to Sancerre, and as a part of the Massif Central, they are known for their volcanic minerality. Despite being hard to come-by in the U.S., we carry two reds from this area:
SAINT POURÇAIN
One hour & 40 minutes (150 kms) south of Sancerre is AOC Saint-Pourçain, a 600-hectare appellation near the village of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, located in the Auvergne region of France, this region is considered a Loire satellite. It has some of the oldest vineyards in France, and scholars make an argument that it has a stronger historical tie to Burgundy than to the Loire Valley. Grapes produced are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Gamay.
Domaine Grosbot-Barbara 2022 Chambre d'Edouard Saint Pourçain • Loire Valley, France • Reg $31.99 | Mixed Case $25.59
100% Pinot Noir from Saint-Pourçain. Nice nose of red berries and earthy, herbal notes. Red berries, elderberries, blue- & blackberries on the palate. Medium-bodied. Good acidity. Soft tannins. Smooth. Super-interesting wine. Best fruit right after opening. Gets earthier over time. Great summer red. Sip slightly chilled or serve with grilled fish, summer pasta dishes or a charcuterie plate for a light evening meal.
CÔTE ROANNAISE
This hilly appellation has vineyards near the springs of the Loire River and is known for producing fresh, fruity, easy-drinking wines (reds, whites & rosé). Côte Roannaise was recognized as an AOC in 1994 and “now boasts around thirty winegrowers on more than 200 hectares and around ten villages.”—Roannais Tourisme
Romain Paire 2022 La Colline en Flamme Gamay • Loire Valley, France • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
30-70 year old vines on mainly granite soils. 100% organic Gamay aged in concrete vats. Herbal, minerally nose with notes of cherry and red currant. Flavors of red cherries, dark raspberries and strawberries. Lighter-bodied and complex. Long, slightly earthy finish. Fine tannins. Not overly acidic. Lots of fruit & easy to like.
Photo (upper right): "Dimanche décuvage en famille!!" // Photo (bottom right): harvest team
Wow, we made it — end to end (625 miles) of the Loire River! The Loire Valley is packed with interesting sub-regions starting with Muscadet grown around Nantes at the Loire Estuary — to delicious table Sauvignon Blanc (and more) from Touraine — to fancier, more minerally Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre — to obscure producers of reds (primarily) at the source of the Loire River in central France. So many wines and fun regions to visit if you’re in France. Also, a big thank you to Wine Folly for their great maps!
Cheers, Julie & Jens, co-owners
Portalis Wine Shop