The Centre-Loire sub-region is located in the Loire Valley region, southeast of the Paris Basin. Its surface area is difficult to determine and the vineyards are made up of plots that vary in Size and are isolated, but also of plots of several hundred hectares. On a limestone base, the Centre-Loire has at least four types of soil: the terres blanches, Deep brown calcareous soils, which give the wines firmness, vivacity and fullness; the caillotes, Hard limestone soils, which give the wines pleasure, tenderness in their youth and a characteristic fruitiness; the grillotes, of friable limestone from which the wines take notes of candied fruits and honey; and the chailloux, siliceous with fine and coarse elements (clays, silts and sands, gravels, and pebbles), giving the wines firmness, persistent aromas, a Spicy nuance and a note of gunflint The caillotes and grillottes are shallow, stony soils, which Warm up quickly in the spring and have good rainwater Runoff, resulting in early ripening of the grapes for the production of fine, Soft, fruity wines. The semi-continental climate with microclimatic variations is ideal for the Sauvignon grape variety which gives white wines a rare harmony and perfection, and also ideal for the Pinot Noir which produces little known but no less surprising red wines.
The Centre-Loire region has nine appellations but is particularly well known for its AOC Sancerre, Quincy, Reuilly and Menetou-Salon. These appellations include those from the Auvergne vineyards (Saint-Pourçain, Côte-Roannaise and Côtes-du-Forez).
It most certainly originates from the Anjou region and is registered in the official catalogue of wine grape varieties on the A1 list. It can also be found in South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Chile, the United States (California), New Zealand, etc. It is said to be a descendant of Savagnin and to have sauvignonasse as its second parent (Jean-Michel Boursiquot 2019). On the other hand, Chenin blanc is the half-brother of verdelho and sauvignon blanc and is the father of colombard.
sparkling wines from the region of Centre Loire go well with generally quite well with dishes of veal, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of alsatian wine pie, stuffed pumpkin or rabbit legs with fresh cream.
Claude took over Champagne Taittinger, which was founded by his father Pierre Taittinger in 1932, in 1960 following the death of his brother, François. He served first as managing director and then president of the company until 2005. During his tenure, he grew Champagne Taittinger from a niche label into a brand with international scale. Moreover, as one of the pioneers of the broader Champagne category’s international success during the 20th century, Claude has been credited with taking France ...
Several fine wine auctions have been organised by the members of the trade in support of emergency relief efforts and humanitarian aid for people affected by war in Ukraine. One auction organised by private member club Crurated brought together more than 250 bottles from coveted producers. It included top names in Burgundy, Champagne and Italy, such as Louis Roederer (Cristal), Domaine Meo-Camuzet, Domaine Dujac and Bartolo Mascarello. Running from 14 to 20 March, a spokesperson told Decanter th ...
Of all the columns I’ve written this year, this one should have been the easiest to write: open my tasting notes file, sort by year 2021, sort by score, select the top ten highest scoring wines, copy and paste. Go to the pub. But it’s not that simple. Some wines are technically perfect and undeniably excellent, wines I respect greatly that deserve their high scores – but on a personal level, they leave me a little cold. Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ top ...
