Loire Valley Wines
Wine Observed:
Loire Valley Wines
by Marty Ramsburg
The Loire Valley in France is known both for its magnificent chateaux and their parks and gardens — Chenonceau, Chambord, Amboise, Villandry, et. al. and, for their stunning white wines.
The section of the Loire known for its wines is above Burgundy, south of Paris. Its latitude would match up more with Montreal and, while the Loire River moderates the extreme winter one might expect, there is still plenty of winter and a long spring with a growing season that favors white wines. We learned, however, that global warming has moved up the maturation period by nearly 3 weeks over the past 20 years, allowing red varieties to experience more favorable conditions for ripeness. Frank and I have just returned from the Loire area of France and are eager to share our experience with those varied and delicious wines.
Each of the winemakers we visited is a small, still family-held and run producer, often with just 2-4 family members working year-round, sometimes hiring others during harvest. Each with whom we met blanched a bit when we used the term “winemaker,” noting that they let the wine make itself, to express the terroir from which it derives. They are “vignerons,” people who care for the vines and indeed, each with whom we met had dirt embedded in his or her hands and under their respective nails. After all, caring for the vines and beginning the spring
work in the vineyards is dirty work.
Sauvignon Blanc may be the most widely planted white varietal in the Loire, but the most noteworthy AOCs within the Sauvignon Blanc growing area are Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre. Both have undergone an evolution in the past 20 years, with Sancerre perhaps more quality-conscious across its villages than Pouilly-Fumé. Historically, Sauvig-non Blanc from the Loire showed aromas and flavors of spring—green peas, new grass, asparagus along with racy acidity. More and more, however, we find those aromas supplanted by riper, mellower flavors of melon and peach, with a beautiful, compelling minerality to entice us. We visited two excellent Sancerre producers and can highly recommend anything they produce—Domaine Henry Natter and Domaine Claude Riffault.
Henry Natter is located in Montigny, the southernmost of the 14 villages that make up the Sancerrois appellation. The estate was started by Henry and his wife, Cécile, in 1974. While they remain the only estate in Montigny, they have grown from half a hectare to 23 hectares, 18 of which are Sauvignon Blanc, 5 are Pinot Noir. Mercifully, Henry and Cécile, have been joined by their daughter, Mathilde, and son,Vincent to share the labor. Cécile, now assisted by Vincent, eschewed temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation with commercial yeasts, relying instead on the old school large wooden casks (foudre) and 
indigeneous yeasts for fermentation. Aging takes place in the large casks as well to allow greater oxidation, softening the wine and creating a richer texture. We have enjoyed the intro-level Henry Natter, Sancerre, since we first tried it 4 vintages ago. It just tastes like an honest wine, with nothing contrived and now, having met the family, that seems about right. While visiting them in Montigny, we were treated to a new wine—a sparkling rosé, Les Secrets d’Anaelle, named after Mathilde’s daughter. The wine is sheer pleasure. We can’t wait til it gets here—hopefully this summer. These are great wines to pair with the early vegetables of spring—asparagus, fresh peas, fiddleheads and always, always, unaged goat cheese.
The other great white grape of the Loire is Chenin Blanc, the varietal you’ll be enjoying anytime you drink a Vouvray, Saven-nieres, or Montlouis.
Like Riesling, Chenin Blanc is extremely aromatic and has bracing acidity that can support making wines that span the range from bone dry to sweet, or moulleux.
It can be/has been argued that the greatest dry Chenin Blanc in the world comes from Saven-nieres, a minute appellation with only about 20 vignerons and approximately150 hectares under vine. Historically, Savennieres has made the one dry white wine of the Loire that, because of the terroir, can age beautifully. The soils are mostly schist and volcanic rock. While there is not much topical dirt, schist is a soft rock that yields to the force of the vines as they burrow down to find water. When they nourish themselves, the vines also draw mineral content that finds its way to the berries.
We visited Domaine Laureau in Savennieres and were so impressed by the quality of the wines. Mind you, we have carried Domaine Laureau’s Les Genets and the Bel Ouvrage over the years, but their price points ($35-$45) make them “special occasion” wines. Damien tends the vineyards using biodynamic practices—no chemical treatments, instead relying on natural predators to insects and applying herbal teas made from homegrown plants to strengthen the natural defenses of the vine. Damien is among the new wave of young winemakers who are leaving the grapes hanging longer so that their ripeness increases, leading to those rich, ripe fruit flavors earlier.
These rich but dry white wines are both hedonistic and cerebral, but are balanced by the bright finish. They absolutely require food, and can easily be paired with fish like salmon and tuna, or white meats, including roasted chicken—or a Tandoori or Thai Coconut Curry Chicken, glazed pork or ham.
We hope that you will try these unique wines and taste the passion of these dedicated vignerons. Perhaps a trip to the Loire will be added to your bucket list!
Marty Ramsburg is co-owner with Frank Larkin of Windham Wines, one of Vermont’s premier wine and beer retailers. Next door is their Wine Gallery, a unique venue for special events and guided wine and beer tastings. 802 246-6400 Tues-Sat, 10-6p, 30-36 Main Street, Brattleboro. Windham Wines also sells wines at North End Butchers, 972 Putney Road, Brattleboro, Tues-Sat, 10-6p, Fri until 5. http://www.Windhamwines.com.
