I’m not a Sauvignon Blanc denier, but I am all too often disappointed with thin, one-dimensional examples.

At its best, however, Sauvignon Blanc can be gorgeously textural and expressive, with weight but no heaviness, and richness balanced by salinity and succulence.

Its aromatic and zingy nature makes it one of the world’s most popular grape varieties, and flavours and aromas vary depending on where and how it's grown – climate, pruning and trellising systems, even the yeast strains used in fermentation.

Expect anything from tropical and exotic to citrusy and zesty, grassy and herby, or stony and mineral.

Organic Sauvignon Blanc – not an easy task

Despite its popularity, Sauvignon Blanc is fairly tricky to grow, and needs careful work in the vineyard to keep it healthy.

‘Sauvignon is relatively complex to work organically or biodynamically,’ says Jonathan Pabiot, a biodynamic winemaker in Pouilly-Fumé. 'It's sensitive to powdery and downy mildew, so in humid years treatments have to be very regular.'

Yet Pabiot says the vine's flower is very sensitive to copper, which is problematic for organic growers because copper-based Bordeaux mixture is one of the only permitted fungicides used to protect against powdery mildew.

For Pabiot, Sauvignon Blanc's very sensitivity to climate and disease stressors is what makes it so responsive to biodynamic farming. ‘Biodynamics helps us overcome these climatic risks, but it isn't magic either,' he says. ‘What it does do is help build living soil.'

Biodynamic winemakers in Languedoc Patricia and Luc Bertoni, of Domaine les Eminades, believe that it is precisely the nearly 20 years of organic farming that has made their Sauvignon particularly resilient to disease – as well as the clement climate of the south.

My Sauvignon Blanc moment

The moment I realised the heights and depths that great Sauvignon could reach was when tasting Andreas Tscheppe’s Blue Dragonfly, from south Styria in Austria, near the border with Slovenia.

Tscheppe and his wife Elisabeth farm their terraced vineyards biodynamically, at 500m altitude. These vineyards, like the wines, are full of life: picture lush vegetation, myriad plants, weeds, flowers, grasses, bugs, beetles, bees, dragonflies and birds.

Fermented with natural yeasts and minimal sulphur, and aged for almost two years in large old barrels, it tastes like wildflowers and wild grasses, sun-warmed orchard fruit, lemon and brine, with an intricate texture like a crispy snowflake.

For me, this is one of the purest, most stripped back and alive versions of Sauvignon Blanc – far removed from the pungent blast of Marlborough.

Of course, not everyone is looking for this hyper textural, nuanced version of the grape. Sauvignon has become something of a celebrity accessory,: Gary Barlow and Graham Norton both have their own brands, though Taylor Swift has, tellingly, traded up to Sancerre.

Has the grape’s cultural moment peaked?

Not if this summer’s internet wine trend is anything to go by – dropping frozen dill pickles into a glass of Sauvignon Blanc suggests it’s found a new, slightly unhinged lease of life.

Either way, here are seven delicious organic bottles to satisfy the Sauvignon-seekers this summer – pickle optional, but not advised.

Seven Sauvignon for summer sipping

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The first time I tried Gamay, I was 22 and on the cusp of some awakening that would eventually lead me to a career in wine.

Up until that point, my experience drinking wine – and especially red wine – was probably a familiar one to many: full-bodied expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon opened regardless of the season.

Dinners paired, however inappropriately, with bottles from Rioja and Bordeaux and the occasional Chianti, inspired by a trip I took with my family to Tuscany when I was a kid.

So to experience a wine that was delicate and bursting with fruit, whose tannins and acidity worked in perfect harmony, was to open an entire world I didn’t know existed.

Wine professionals and enthusiasts alike often talk about their ‘gateway bottles’ – the first wine they ever enjoyed which revealed with stark clarity the possibilities of what wine could be.

A Beaujolais 2020 from Domaine de la Prébende was my first experience drinking a lighter-bodied, bright and juicy red, and it set me down a path of looking for wines that ignited this same sense of wonder.

The juicy holy grail

Nothing has delivered quite like the elusive, though increasingly popular, Pineau d’Aunis, whose exciting renaissance has not only deepened my enjoyment of wine, but kindled a sense of curiosity for its craft and history.

Pineau d’Aunis, a red grape thought to be native to the Loire, was once very popular across this region, especially during the 13th century when it was purportedly a favourite of England’s King Henry III, who had the wines shipped across the Channel.

But like most European grape varieties, Pineau d’Aunis was heavily impacted by the phylloxera outbreak that swept through France and across Europe in the late 19th century.

Finicky and susceptible to some diseases, it was gradually replaced by the more celebrated (and easier to handle) Cabernet Franc.

Though never entirely lost, Pineau d’Aunis plantings dwindled significantly over the 20th century, reaching their lowest point in the 1970s before the start of its recent revival.

Pineau ascendent

Leading this renaissance were producers like Jean-Pierre Robinot (Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin), Thierry Puzelat (Clos du Tue-Boeuf) and Eric Nicolas (Domaine de Bellivière).

Nicolas has worked with massal cuttings from 100-year-old vines to repopulate Pineau d’Aunis across his vineyard, which he uses in one of the domaine’s signature cuvées, Hommage à Louis Derré, a personal favourite of mine.

Louis Dressner, one of the largest importers of natural wine in the US, has been working with these producers, and more, over the last 20 years, playing an influential role in the rise of Pineau d’Aunis in bars and on shelves across the country. (That being said, it’s one of few grapes on their website which doesn’t have its own designated sorting feature).

Jules Dressner, of the company’s second generation, credits this with the increasing demand for Loire wines generally.

‘There used to be a time when this was an underdog grape in an underdog region,’ he says, ‘but the Loire has legitimised itself as a very important place in France, and so you have more people paying more attention to the region generally and therefore the indigenous varieties it gives us.’

The problem with Pineau d’Aunis, he argues, is that it’s often overlooked and even somewhat polarising. ‘It's much more than a light-drinking red grape.

It's rustic, but charming and complex. The kind of grape that you can turn your brain either on or off too, that can really make you think – if you let it,’ he says.

A moveable feast

And it’s true, each bottle of Pineau d’Aunis I’ve tried has given me something new to chew on: bright and juicy expressions of red fruits like strawberries, raspberries and sour cherries, grounded in an earthy savouriness with notes of white pepper and brine, that balance out its brighter elements.

As the seasons change, I find myself once again turning to wines that are not only fresh and light, but that mark some greater awakening which spring always seems to set in motion.

The following wines capture just that.

Six wines to make you fall in love with Pineau d'Aunis:

Domaine de Bellivière, Hommage à Louis Derré, Coteaux du Loir

One of the domaine’s most elusive cuvées made from its signature variety, this comes from 1ha of 90-110-year-old Pineau d'Aunis grown on heavy clay and silex soils over limestone, across eight tiny parcels.

Sour plum, blackberry and redcurrant aromas are intricately woven with undertones of warm spice like anise and peppercorn and an earthy quality of wet moss and leaves.

Perfectly structured, its tannins are notable yet refined, covering a silky palate that gives the wine fabulous length and elegance.

Clos du Tue-Boeuf, Pineau d’Aunis, Vin de France

One of the earliest bottles of Pineau d’Aunis I tried, this is the kind of wine that lingers well beyond the last sip. In the glass it’s ruby-hued and translucent when held up to the light.

Clos du Tue-Boeuf was established by Thierry Puzelat, who has worked with Pineau d’Aunis for a long time.

This cuvée, however, was first released in 2015 with fruit sourced in small quantities from his neighbouring grower, Valérie Forgues, who organically tends and hand harvests 100-year-old vines.

Aged for six months in old barrels and bottled with zero added sulphur, this wine has a lip-smacking acidity reminiscent of blood orange or cranberry juice, finishing with notes of Castelvetrano olive and a peppery bite like fresh rocket.

Jean-Pierre Robinot, Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin Le Regard, Vin de France

Quintessential Loire freshness and unmistakably Robinot, this wine is zippy, bright and expressive, with a slight effervescence.

Whole-bunch fermentation for three weeks and 15 months of maturation in barrel gives the wine delicate tannins without sacrificing its brightness or high acidity.

Vibrant notes of cranberry and pomegranate on the palate work in harmony with salty and faintly grassy aromas on the nose.

It has a metallic, iron-rich finish, a touch of white pepper and an uncompromising savouriness which begs to be thoughtfully considered.

Domaine de la Roche Bleue, La Belle d'Aunis, Vin de France

Described by winemaker Sébastien Cornille as ‘a thinker, a ponderer, a brilliant wine,’ this cuvée reaches depths Pineau d’Aunis is seldom thought to achieve.

The grapes are harvested from vines that are over 50 years old, planted in the clay-rich soils of Marçon and Chahaignes.

After two to three weeks of semi-carbonic maceration in foudres, depending on the vintage, the wine is gently pressed, then aged for 12 months in barrel.

The result preserves the delicacy and purity of the fruit – think blackcurrant liqueur and raspberry preserve – while layering in warm spice notes of coriander seed and star anise.

Surprisingly robust, it pairs beautifully with a range of dishes like lamb and spring vegetables.

La Grapperie, Adonis Pineau d'Aunis, Vin de France

La Grapperie makes wine from just two varieties: Chenin Blanc and Pineau d'Aunis.

This cuvée, made purely of the latter, uses grapes from a blend of young and old vines planted across the Coteaux du Loir – one of the region’s overlooked terroirs.

But winemaker Renaud Guettier is helping to breathe new life into the area and creating new excitement around the grape.

Here, he balances the natural character of Pineau d’Aunis with the limestone-rich slopes he farms.

The wine shows a harmony of soft earth and spicy minerality, with notes of red raspberry, wild strawberry and cracked pepper.

Striking a balance between brightness and structure, it’s a wine that speaks for itself, but is just as at home shared over a table of meats and cheeses.

Domaine le Briseau, Patapon, Vin de France

Produced within the Coteaux du Loir appellation, this cuvée has been intentionally declassified as Vin de France by the winemaker, self-prescribed as 'unconforming'.

The medium-bodied palate defies expectations for a grape often assumed to be simply light and juicy.

The nose is heavily perfumed with aromas of strawberry compote, violets and red cherries, as well as subtle hints of black pepper and damp earth.

On the palate, it’s juicy with mouthwatering acidity, soft tannins, and flavours of tart red fruit, a touch of chocolate and a mineral-driven finish.

The clown on the label serves as both a warning and an invitation: this is a mischievous wine, youthfully spirited.

But hiding behind that veil is something much bolder, more serious, and more thoughtful.

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The Loire Valley has always been a quietly confident wine region. Stretching 300km along the river and its tributaries, it encompasses more than 65 official designations, from Muscadet on the Atlantic coast to Sancerre in the east. The area now enjoys UNESCO recognition for its cultural landscape, too.

Ahead of the curve

Given its size, two bodies represent the Loire’s producers and strategy: InterLoire, which represents about three-quarters of the entire Loire wine region from Muscadet through to Touraine, and the BIVC, which covers the eight specific appellations that make up the geographically distinct Centre-Loire region, which includes Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

Though they’re administratively distinct, the combined result is impressive: the region has arguably the most forward-looking and complete sustainability roadmap in French wine.

How has this come about? In short, the Loire is a region of small, multigenerational domaines, so families live and breathe the vineyards, experiencing change first-hand and often more acutely.

Ahead of its time, the BIVC’s technical arm SICAVAC has been supporting Centre-Loire producers since 1994.

Founded and funded by growers for growers, it is unique in France, conducting research, vineyard monitoring, laboratory analysis, R&D, training and newsletters that flag forecasted issues and how to mitigate them.

By the late 1990s, while many other regions were preoccupied with marketing, the Loire was setting ambitious environmental targets, and nudging growers towards more sustainable farming.

A resilience ‘toolbox’

In 2000, it began precision terroir mapping across the whole wine-growing region – an area of about 66,000ha.

Thirteen years later, the results were made available online via the E-terroir platform, which now provides detailed maps of both soils and water.

Then, in 2018, InterLoire launched a program, led by the French Vine and Wine Institute, around heritage and new grape varieties.

‘This work is about building a library of genetic diversity so growers can match plant material to shifting soils and climates,’ says Etienne Goulet, InterLoire’s technical director.

This was followed, the next year, by the launch of Le Plan Filière Loire 2030, a strategic roadmap for the region’s wine industry. The first of its kind in France, it included targets for environmental certifications, such as organic and Terra Vitis (sustainable wine-growing).

Foundations were also laid for a shared ‘toolbox’, that would be accessible to everyone from educators to growers.

Among the tools in that toolbox are the Agroclimatic Atlas, which provides data on climatic evolution and its potential long-term impact on terroir and varietal suitability, and Loire Météo, which delivers hyper-local weather forecasts and disease alerts to guide vineyard decisions.

While resilience tools are impressive, reducing wine’s carbon footprint must also stay front of mind. Intent from the top is clear, and the WinePilot platform, rolled out by InterLoire from late 2024, enables growers and wine companies to measure their carbon footprints and identify reduction pathways.

There’s also new funding for a major bottle-reuse campaign and for helping growers invest in energy-efficient equipment.

Mitigations & frustrations

With such ambitious plans however, it’s worth asking how much is actually filtering down to producers.

The big-picture results are encouraging. The plan aims for organic or HVE (High Environmental Value) certification for 100% of the region’s vineyard area by 2030.

According to InterLoire, 85% was already there by 2023.

The BIVC has also recorded a five-fold increase in certification in just five years.

‘We know change is hard, so we’re focused on finding practical solutions to the technical challenges raised by this environmental commitment,’ says François Dal, technical expert at the SICAVAC.

Goulet says: ‘Tool usage among producers is strong and steadily increasing, but we’re working to expand adoption further by raising awareness and demonstrating relevance.’

On the ground, however, I found many winemakers were keen to emphasise the upsides of warmer vintages and riper wines. Others seemed so accustomed to environmental directives that they no longer viewed them as remarkable.

Yet when pushed, several acknowledged growing threats, such as vine disease flavescence dorée.

Most also admitted that each new vintage now brings weather extremes of some sort, testing resilience every year.

Results in the glass

For wine drinkers, this isn’t simply academic. Without vigilance, climatic pressures will mean rising prices, loss of vinous identity and patchy quality. Extra ripeness isn’t always a drawback for Loire wines but already, it’s tipping towards the edge.

The Loire’s proactive stance aims to safeguard its wines’ unique characteristics, meaning Cabernet Franc retains its fragrant poise and Sauvignon remains elegant, for example, while ensuring they always speak of place.

There is obviously still plenty to be done, but the Loire seems better placed than many other regions to face the challenges ahead.

In the meantime, in the spirit of collaboration the plan champions so well, it will also fall to us as wine lovers to help tell their story.

Sip to make a difference: Loire wines to try

Domaine Théo Blet, La Peyanne, Saumur Blanc 2023

100% organic Chenin Blanc, balancing delicate floral aromatics with a textured palate of apricot and white peach.

Lulu l’Alouette, Chinon, 2023

Perfumed and silky, with notes of spiced raspberry and graphite, this is an elegant, easy-drinking Cabernet Franc.

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Rhône Valley

From the five Rhône wines that scored 100 points throughout 2025, two make this list, from either end of the valley and from slightly older vintages: Clape’s 2010 Cornas and Château de Beaucastel’s 2014 white Châteauneuf.

Both are still on the market, so prospective buyers or those lucky enough to have them in their cellar will be richly rewarded. M Chapoutier’s white Hermitage L’Ermite is a fine showing from the tricky and varied 2024 vintage, which you can read about in our extensive en primeur coverage.

While 2024 Hermitage reds are less powerful than you might expect, it’s the whites that reign supreme. Château de Saint Cosme’s Le Claux warranted inclusion here, not just for its score of 97 points but also as a great representation of the heights that Gigondas continues to reach – and Saint Cosme is undoubtedly one of the best in the appellation.

Given that he’s a winemaker who has been cited as inspiration for other winemakers I’ve spoken to more times than I can count, Eric Pfifferling’s wines are still possible to come by, although they do sell out rather quickly.

A wine that is ‘tremulous and beautiful’, Domaine l’Anglore’s Tavel Les Sables simply had to make the cut for this year’s Wines of the Year selection.

Champagne & rest of France

In just a short time, young Adrien Dhondt has become a second generation Champagne paragon: his wines are some of the most sought-after in the region.

Les Nogers Cuis 1er Cru is included here for the impression it made on Champagne correspondent Tom Hewson, who profiled Champagne Dhondt-Grellet on Decanter Premium online in October 2025.

Meanwhile, the rosé Champagne category offers a panoply of styles and colours, but as they’re often priced above their white counterparts, they’re frequently overlooked and misunderstood.

The reality is there are plenty of serious rosé Champagnes that are exemplary wines in their own right, showing great technical finesse, impressive complexity and potential for long ageing.

Laurent-Perrier’s Alexandra rosé is the perfect example of this; an icon of its style. Beyond Champagne, it will come as no surprise to see the Loire’s Sauvignon stronghold Sancerre on this list.

The 2020 Les Ruchons from Henri Bourgeois was one of Beverley Blanning MW’s favourites in her exploration of Sancerre’s revival. Finally, it may seem quite the coup to feature Bandol and Corsica alongside these French stalwarts, yet it’s thoroughly well deserved.

Corsican wines are increasingly turning heads, with more making their way to UK shores. And in our panel tasting featuring Provence whites, Bandol stood out as the most exciting source appellation.

Wines of the year 2025: Rhône, Champagne and regional France:

Wines from the Rhône are listed first, then those from around France

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Champagne Dhondt-Grellet: The young grower at the top of his game

France is awash with bubbles.

And no, I’m not talking about Champagne; I’m talking about Crémant, the bottle-fermented sparkling wines made outside Champagne, across eight French regions.

From Alsace in the northeast down to Burgundy, then skirting the Alps in Jura and Savoie, south to Die and Limoux, across to Bordeaux and finally the Loire Valley, these Crémant appellations trace an effervescent tour of France.

They look back on various sparkling wine traditions and come with delicious regional accents.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 20 superb French Crémants

A rich history

Sparkling wines have long been popular in France. Legend has it that they’ve been made in Limoux since the mid-16th century, although evidence of the wine’s effervescence is considerably younger.

It was the early success of Champagne and its processes that inspired others.

Négociant and winemaker Joseph-Jules Lausseure made Bourgogne Mousseux from his Pinot Noirs in 1818. Others soon followed and, by 1827, more than a million bottles of sparkling Burgundy had been sold in France.

Belgian Jean-Baptiste Ackerman pioneered the style in the Loire Valley, a hub of sparkling wine production to this day.

He founded his trading house in Saumur in 1811, got into wine production, experimented, and received a gold medal at the 1838 Industrial Exposition of Angers for his 1836 sparkling wine. Troglodyte cellars, carved into the local tuffeau limestone, were ideal, of course.

In Alsace, Mousseux d’Alsace was made in the 1880s and ’90s, but it took young Julien Dopff, from a family of coopers and wine producers, to take the idea mainstream.

He had visited the Paris Universal Exposition in 1900, discovered Champagne and the méthode Champenoise (as it was then known), and promptly decided to train in Epernay. He then began to make sparkling wine back home in Alsace.

The official stamp

Internationally, the success of Champagne, its marketing nous and the region’s fierce stance on defending its (well-deserved) status and quality have left other regional French sparkling styles firmly in the shadows.

While Champagne has had a legally protected name since 1887, legally fixed boundaries since 1927 and formalised appellation laws since 1936, other sparkling wines had to wait longer for legal definition, despite their entrenched histories.

Initially, local traditions were subsumed into appellation laws, as in Vouvray in 1936, or recognised separately, as in Bourgogne Mousseux (1943) and Saumur (1957); however, ongoing legal wrangling with Champagne and integration with European laws finally resulted in the creation of dedicated appellations for Crémant, starting in the 1970s.

Crémant de Loire and de Bourgogne, both of which were created in 1975, are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year, while Alsace will do so in 2026.

Crémant appellations for Limoux (Languedoc) and Bordeaux were formalised in 1990, Die (Drôme) in 1993, Jura in 1995 and Savoie in 2015.

Know your Crémant styles

France

Loire

AP received 1975

Colours white, rosé

Area in production 3,600ha

Grape varieties Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Orbois, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon (max 30%), Grolleau, Grolleau Gris, Pineau d’Aunis (max 30%), Pinot Noir

Bourgogne

AP received 1975

Colours white, rosé

Area in production 3,433ha

Grape varieties Pinot Noir, Chardonnay (min 30%), Gamay (max 30%), Aligoté, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sacy, Melon

Alsace

AP received 1976

Colours white, rosé

Area in production 4,567ha

Grape varieties Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling; rosé wines must be 100% Pinot Noir

Limoux

AP received 1990

Colours white, rosé

Area in production 1,097ha

Grape varieties Chardonnay (min 30%), Chenin Blanc (min 10%), Mauzac (max 20%), Pinot Noir (max 30%)

Bordeaux

AP received 1990

Colours white, rosé

Area in production 1,927ha

Grape varieties Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Semillon plus ‘supporting’ varieties Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Merlot Blanc (max 30% alone or together)

Die

AP received 1993

Colours white

Area in production 66ha

Grape varieties Clairette, Aligoté (10%-40%), Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (5%-10%)

Jura

AP received 1995

Colours white, rosé

Area in production 298ha

Grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Savagnin, Poulsard, Trousseau. For white: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Trousseau can account for min. 70% of the blend; for rosé, Pinot Noir, Poulsard and Trousseau must represent min 50% of the blend

Savoie

AP received 2015

Colours white

Area in production 47ha

Grape varieties Jacquère (min 40%), Altesse (together with Jacquère min 60%), Aligoté, Mondeuse Blanche, Chardonnay, Chasselas, Molette, Gamay, Mondeuse, Pinot Noir; max 20% of red grapes

Luxembourg

AP received 1991

Colours white, rosé

Area in production n/a

Grape varieties Elbling, Müller-Thurgau, Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Saint Laurent, Sylvaner

Perfect party choice

These appellation laws are tailored to the production of sparkling wine. The foremost aim is to prevent the oxidation of grape juice before pressing.

All Crémant rules thus mandate hand harvesting and the size or fill height of the transport containers of the grapes. Even the maximum drop from hopper to press is governed, as is the maximum time between picking and pressing.

Grapes must be whole-bunch-pressed and only to a specified limit. Only grapes for rosé wines may be macerated on the skins.

Wines must be made by second fermentation in bottle, spend at least nine months maturing on lees and have a certain minimum pressure.

Buying Crémant thus guarantees a minimum level of sparkling wine quality – a standard that countless producers have mastered, scaled and translated into price.

It’s perfectly possible to buy Crémant in a French supermarket for far less than €10, less than £15 here in the UK and less than $30 or even $20 in the US.

This makes Crémant a real value proposition, especially for parties, but it also means that there are many perfectly correct but uninspiring Crémants out there.

Beyond France? Look out for Crémant de Luxembourg

Formalised in 1991, Crémant de Luxembourg is made from grapes grown along the western bank of the Moselle river.

Unlike in neighbouring Germany, where the river grinds its way through the Rhenish slate massif, the soils along this 42km stretch are of Triassic marls and limestone where Pinot varieties, Chardonnay and Riesling thrive very close to the 50th parallel of latitude – further north than either Epernay or Reims. Each year, the country produces about three million bottles.

Domaine Alice Hartmann, Brut, Crémant de Luxembourg, Moselle, Luxembourg NV 90pts

£46.80 Hedonism

Made from half Riesling and roughly a quarter each of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the last two having been matured in oak as base wine.

Lovely aromas of tangerine jelly and peel join a creamy smokiness. The palate straddles that smooth, oaky creaminess with bright, fresh Riesling fruit, offering a touch of honey and more tangerine.

Aged for just 18 months on lees, this is a sophisticated yet fruit-driven, light-bodied Crémant that will work both as aperitif and alongside spicy dishes. Drink 2025-2030 Alcohol 12.5%

Finding the jewels

So how do you spot the great ones?

Beyond paying attention to Crémants with longer lees ageing, look for special cuvées from the larger producers and for Crémants made by smaller, artisanal producers – and chat to your wine merchant.

Right now, Crémant is surfing a wave. The French national federation of Crémant producers reports that in 2024, 114.5 million bottles of Crémant were sold at home and abroad, grown across about 15,000ha in eight appellations.

The upward trend in production – amounting to a 47% increase between 2016 and 2024 – is ‘developing in line with market demand’, the federation says.

These numbers are dwarfed by Champagne’s 34,200ha and 271 million bottles sold in 2024, but Crémant d’Alsace is now the most popular traditional-method sparkling wine sold in France after Champagne.

Crémant works as a value alternative for Champagne – especially if you look to Crémant de Bourgogne, which is often made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – or as a sparkling wine category in its own right, full of wonderful local inflections: an effervescent Jacquère, a sparkling Clairette, a Crémant dosaged with Vin Jaune? Yes please!

Krebiehl’s pick: 20 excellent Crémant buys from around France

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Located in the Central Vineyards in the eastern part of the Loire Valley, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are both famed for quality expressions of Sauvignon Blanc.

Head to head: Explore the similarities and differences between five Sancerre and five Pouilly-Fumé wines

Sancerre is home to more land under vine than its neighbour, and vineyards are planted on hillside slopes whereas in Pouilly-Fumé the terrain is flatter.

As they are close geographically, it follows that the two appellations are home to similar soil types.

The two wines – both alike in dignity – can be hard to tell apart in a blind tasting, but follow our experts’ insights and tips to see what differentiates their profiles.

Jim Budd, DWWA Regional Chair for the Loire:

‘The differences between these Sauvignon Blancs are nuanced and subtle.

‘Pouilly-Fumé tends to be a little broader, softer, slightly less vibrant and aromatic than Sancerre. It can have a smoky character, especially those from flint (silex) soils, though this can also be true of Sancerre grown on flint.

‘Both Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre, especially the good ones, have grass and citric characters – typically grapefruit – rather than the classic notion of cat’s pee, which in the Loire is a sign of unripe grapes. In ripe, hot years stone-fruit characters emerge.

‘Both should have linear purity of flavour and can age attractively. Producers like Henri Bourgeois, Joseph Mellot and Pascal Jolivet make both Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, so try them together and see if you can taste the differences.’

Pascal Jolivet:

‘The late Kit Stevens MW once said, Sancerre is like spring, Pouilly-Fumé like summer – meaning that Sancerre is more immediately approachable in its youth, but with Pouilly-Fumé, you have to wait.

‘Pouilly-Fumé is more mineral, a connoisseur’s wine. It was very famous in the 1980s and ’90s, until Sancerre eclipsed it in popularity – maybe partly because Sancerre is easier to pronounce. We’re on a mission to bring Pouilly-Fumé back.’

Taken from: A drink with… Pascal Jolivet

Head to head: Flavour profiles to explore

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• What does Sancerre wine taste like? Plus 10 top picks
• Centre-Loire wines in 2024: The human impact of a harrowing vintage

Climate change has taught winemakers everywhere to expect the unexpected, but in a marginal climate such as the Loire Valley, every year seems to bring fresh challenges.

In this changing and demanding environment, the art of the vigneron has never been more crucial.

Many of the wines featured in this report of the 2024 and 2023 vintages are made by the tried and trusted producers who, through experience and expertise, manage to craft wonderful wines year in, year out.

Here are some of the newer names to watch.

Scroll down to see the wines to buy from these Centre-Loire stars

Marius Tabordet – Domaine Tabordet, Pouilly-Fumé

Marius Tabordet is the latest to take the helm of this family domaine, founded in the 1960s by his grandfather. He has steadfastly led the charge towards a more natural approach, both in the vineyard (now certified biodynamic) and the winery, where he indulges his creativity by ageing wines in stainless steel, amphorae and oak vats, sometimes without sulphur.

He aims to keep his wines ageing on lees for as long as possible. Marius is at the forefront of initiatives to foster more biodiversity across the region. His wines are models of purity and elegance.

Jean-Philippe Agisson – Domaine S et JP Agisson, Sancerre

Jean-Philippe Agisson worked under Alphonse Mellot for more than a decade before crossing the river to Domaine Didier Dagueneau, where he is currently chief winemaker.

In his spare time, Jean-Philippe has created his own bijou domaine in Sancerre, where he crafts exceptional wines in tiny quantities.

These are understated, refined beauties that are well worth seeking out.

Thibault Denizot – Domaine Denizot, Sancerre

Thibault Denizot is a difficult man to pin down. He’s usually to be found in one of his vineyards. ‘Pruning is his passion,’ says his wife Jennifer, ‘He spends eight hours a day doing this and is very particular about how his vines are pruned.’

Thibault joined the family domaine in 2005, working solely in the vineyards, where he quickly stopped using chemicals. At this time all the fruit was sold to a négociant.

In 2016, he and Jennifer took over and began making their own wine, since when the domaine has gone from strength to strength.

Unsurprisingly, the focus is still very much on the vineyard, now worked organically and biodynamically, and harvested by hand.

Antoine Gouffier – Domaine du Bouchot, Pouilly-Fumé

Pouilly-sur-Loire seems just too quiet for the ebullient Antoine Gouffier, who left home to travel the world and ended up working as a winemaker in South Africa for six years. But he returned home in 2018 to buy Domaine du Bouchot, one of the few organic estates in the appellation and the first to be certified.

He has since converted the 10ha of vineyards to biodynamics (from the 2023 vintage) and produces three bright and textured site-specific cuvées of Pouilly-Fumé, a Pouilly-sur-Loire Chasselas, and an orange wine.

There is doubtless more to come from this energetic young winemaker.

Joseph de Maistre – Domaine de Reuilly & Prieuré de Saint-Céols, Reuilly & Menetou-Salon

Joseph de Maistre grew up in the Centre-Loire area, but was not born into a winegrowing family. He was inspired to study winemaking by his grandfather, a Cognac producer.

After training in France and South Africa he returned home to establish his own business in 2020 with his wife, Marie. Here they manage two domaines, one in Reuilly and the other in Menetou-Salon.

Domaine de Reuilly, formerly owned by Denis Jamain, was converted to biodynamics as long ago as 2011. The new owners have been careful to ensure the continuation of quality wines at the domaine, including whites from Sauvignon, reds from Pinot Noir, and the deliciously unique Reuilly vin gris from Pinot Gris.

The Prieuré de Saint-Céols in Menetou-Salon has a history dating back to 1190. Today’s wines are fresh, modern and good value.

Wines from the Centre-Loire’s rising stars:

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Discover the diversity of the Loire

More from Decanter

Centre-Loire 2024 vintage rating and overview:

2/5

Widely dubbed the most difficult vintage in living memory. It pays to stick to the best names for zippy, early-drinking, well-made wines.

2024 is a year that will stick in the minds – and throats – of the vignerons who lived it in the Centre-Loire – the area which covers the appellations of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Pouilly-sur-Loire, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Coteaux du Giennois, Châteaumeillant, Côtes de la Charité, and Coteaux de Tannay.

A record-breaking year for all the wrong reasons, the season was dominated by rain in previously unknown quantity and frequency.

Humidity was the enemy, resulting in an endless battle against disease, vineyards clogged with mud, soaring costs due to the many additional hours of labour and vine treatments, and insufficient sun or warmth to ripen the grapes.

One might say the conditions were exactly the opposite of those needed to grow healthy grapes.

To add insult to injury, there was also localised spring frost in Châteaumeillant, Coteaux du Giennois and Pouilly-Fumé, and summer hail in Sancerre.

‘The vintage spared us nothing,’ reads the grim conclusion of the growers’ annual report.

The harvest was just as complicated. Growers had to contend with delayed ripening and deteriorating grape quality as the unsettled weather continued through October. It was a vintage to remember, and one to forget.

See all 60 wines tasted and reviewed from 2024 and 2023

The human impact

For all the talk of the weather, though, it is the human stories that are the hardest to hear.

Carine Crochet, wife of Sancerre vigneron François Crochet, recalls the extraordinary difficulty of vignerons trying to support each other when nobody had the strength to do so: ‘We were calling each other and looking at the weather 50 times a day. It was very difficult psychologically.’

The last season of significant crop loss here was 2021, when spring frosts devastated many vineyards. Despite the pain of losing so much, the 2021 frost was a short, sharp shock. Once it was over, the season was less stressful.

2024, in contrast, was a long, drawn-out agony, with stark differences between those farming organically and those with access to more powerful chemical tools to combat disease.

Some growers using conventional viticulture managed to produce a regular crop, whereas several organic domaines made no wine at all in 2024, and others made so little that they blended multiple cuvées together just to have enough wine to sell.

Biodynamic producer Jean-Laurent Vacheron of Domaine Vacheron says, ‘We’ve never spent so much money for so little harvest. We’ll never cover the cost of making these wines.’

The vinous impact

As for the quality, 2024 is, predictably, a light vintage characterised by low levels of alcohol, moderate concentration and very crisp acidity.

The best wines, fragrant and bright, tend to be from winemakers who lost most of their crop, because the vines were better able to ripen the small quantity of grapes that remained during the overcast summer.

Wines produced at very high yields, on the other hand, often show underripe and tart flavours.

It should be noted that because many 2024s are not yet on the market, many of the wines tasted for this report are from the abundant 2023 vintage, also reported on last year.

These 2023 wines are ripe and delicious, offering easy-drinking pleasure. The weather was warm, but only at the end of a rather cool growing season, so there is no sense of excess, rather of comfort and ease.

These wines do not have the concentration and weight of the 2022s, and will perhaps be less long-lived, but both the 2022 and 2023 vintages are very good and full of charm, with many recommendable wines.

So the question is, should you buy any Centre-Loire wines from 2024?

The 2024 wines listed below are a safe bet in this tricky vintage. Beyond that, seek out the excellent 2023s that are still available, and the 2022s if you can find them.

Centre-Loire vintage ratings

2024: 2/5

Widely dubbed the most difficult vintage in living memory. It pays to stick to the best names for zippy, early-drinking, well-made wines.

2023: 4/5

An abundant vintage. A late heatwave ripened the grapes nicely, giving wines of charm and approachability that can be enjoyed now. High yields led to some dilution, but the best wines are tasting balanced and delicious.

2022: 4/5

A year marked by drought has given full-bodied, ripe wines with balanced acidities. Alcohol levels can be quite high, but there are many appealing wines to enjoy.

2021: 3.5/5

Spring frosts and a cool growing season resulted in a small volume of delicate, high-quality wines. There are some delicious, crisp whites from this vintage, though it is less reliable for reds.

2020: 4/5

A warm vintage of good quality. Alcohol levels can be a little on the high side as sugars rose rapidly late in the season.

The 2024 and 2023 wines to seek out:

Wines listed in score order by vintage (2024 then 2023).

Related articles

• Sincere Sancerre: A Loire revival and eight wines to seek out
• Loire Valley 2023 vintage report: White wines and the best new releases
• Hubert Brochard: Change in store for the Bollinger-owned Sancerre estate

Sancerre is now a staple of restaurant wine lists and shop shelves, recognised the world over for its top-tier white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc.

Where does Sancerre wine come from?

The river Loire, the longest in France, rises in the Massif Central in the centre of France, meandering north and then east before spilling out into the Atlantic ocean. At the midpoint of this river lies the region of Sancerre. As it is at least 450km inland, it has a relatively cool and continental climate, which helps to preserve the variety’s natural acidity and freshness.

What does Sancerre taste like? Three things to remember:

1: Fresh

Sancerre whites are known for being fresh, fruity and zesty. Look out for notes of citrus, elderflower, gooseberry and grassy aromas.

2: Mineral

Many wines show a lovely stony, mineral character too. If you like Chablis, try Sancerre, as they share similar mineral characters.

3: Texture

The best examples are known for their delicious, multi-layered texture in the mouth.

Can Sancerre wine age?

In her recent article exploring Sancerre in depth, Beverley Blanning MW said:

‘Sancerre is usually drunk on release or very soon after. Simple Sauvignon, with fresh, grassy fruit in the green spectrum of flavours, is likely to lose its youthful appeal quickly and risk developing vegetal characters if kept more than a couple of years.

However, the finest wines of Sancerre, often from single-vineyard sites, are quite different.

For one thing, they’re usually older on release, having been aged on lees for up to 18 months before bottling. While most are approachable young, many will improve significantly in bottle.

But is this the best time to drink them? Most Sancerre vignerons advise drinking their wines when they are ‘young’, but by this they rarely mean as soon as they are released.’

Alphonse Mellot suggests that for his wines, ‘it’s best to wait four to five years’. Other growers agree.

Best food pairings for Sancerre

A classic match for Sancerre is goat’s cheese, in particular the local Crottin de Chavignol.

These whites also pair well with simple and light grilled or smoked fish dishes, and raw fish such as sushi and sashimi.

Sancerre red and rosé

Although 82% of the production of Sancerre is white, there are also red and rosé wines from this region, made from Pinot Noir.

The reds have evolved from light and simple into increasingly sophisticated and complex examples.

Rosés are fruity and floral, and many have a fresh citrusy side.

Related articles

• Sincere Sancerre: A Loire revival and eight wines to seek out
• The enduring appeal of Muscadet: 18 fabulous wines to try
• Decanter Cellar: 15 must-try Sauvignon Blanc

As we wade through the sticky, sultry dog days of summer, the allure of cool and refreshing drinks becomes not just more tantalising, but necessary.

And perhaps you’re currently feeling a little jaded by just the one style of wine you’ve been drinking over the past few weeks, too hot and bothered to muster up the brain power to try anything else.

A long, hot summer can be an awfully long time to constantly drink just the one rosé after all.

So if you’re stuck in a summer rut, here are three top tips to find something else to shake up your summer evenings and languid days by the pool.

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1. Wines made by the sea

It sounds obvious or perhaps rather silly, but wines made from coastal regions really do seem to have the juice when it comes to the best styles of wines for summer sipping.

Is it the varieties’ intrinsic nature? Does proximity to the sea really give them a salty tang?

Are winemakers in these areas just more clued-in to the style of wines that work best with your feet in the sand and the roar of the surf in your ears?

Maybe a mix of it all?

Either way, there’s no doubt that if you want a great wine for the summer, think of places beside the sea as a good starting place.

There are loads of wines which just scream summer and beach holidays, accompanied by fresh seafood.

There’s Vinho Verde from northern Portugal, Txakoli from Spain’s Basque country, Muscadet from the Loire.

Heading into the Mediterranean we have the refreshing salty lick of Manzanilla Sherry, the herbal freshness of Xarel-lo in Catalonia, brisk Picpoul de Pinet and pale rosé from the southern French coast, stony Vermentino from Sardinia and Tuscany and the kaleidoscope of varieties from the Greek islands.

2. The faraway Mediterranean

And that’s just Europe we’ve been talking about. But don’t forget that much of the winemaking world operates on the same principals and proximity to the ocean in the warmer climes of the Americas, Africa and Antipodes is often essential to help moderate the temperature.

As such, a great many non-European regions are also seaside wines par excellence.

This is particularly true when many of these Mediterranean-esque regions are also producing wines made from grape varieties you’d expect to find in Europe, such as Albariño – which has seen an increase in worldwide plantings in recent years.

Large chunks of California, the Chilean littoral, the Cape in South Africa, Western and South Australia and the islands of New Zealand are great places for crisp and refreshing whites made from Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Semillon and so forth.

3. Beyond Provence

Finally, a word on rosé. Provence set the bar years ago with its brilliantly pale and limpid pinks.

These boosted rosé from being one of the has-been afterthoughts of global viticulture to a runaway hype-train of luxury labels and copycats.

But popularity comes at a price and Provence is now at a premium. However, you don’t have to look far to find wines that are essentially identical.

Both the nearby Languedoc and Roussillon produce extremely delicious rosés in much the same style as Provence and with the same grapes but for a fraction of the price.

Indeed, such has been the impact of pale Provence rosé, that around Europe and the world, you can now find your desire for chillable pink fulfilled by pretty much every country and region mentioned above.

Remember that Liz Gabay MW gives us a rundown each year not only of her pick of the latest Provence rosé releases, but her selection of the best rosés from around the world.

Below is a selection perfect summer white and rosé wines that have been tasted recently by the Decanter team or one of our esteemed experts.

With any luck it’ll give you some extra inspiration for something new to put in the fridge before the summer is through.

Decanter Cellar: 25 white and rosé wines for summer

Wines are listed white then rosé in score order

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The sign nailed to the wall outside François Cotat’s cellar looks pretty permanent: Fermé.

But soon enough, the man himself comes out to greet me. ‘I hope you’re not going to write about me,’ he says, shaking my hand. ‘I get too many visitors as it is.’

His comment is a sign of the times. Interest in Sancerre has never been greater.

Scroll down for notes and scores of eight terroir-focused Sancerre wines

Global resurgence

And there’s a reason why wine buyers are beating a path to the doors of the best growers: the top wines of Sancerre now rival some of the finest whites in France.

The wine equivalent of the Little Black Dress, Sancerre is an understated French classic that has never gone out of fashion. Its popularity is understandable.

Fresh, fruity and affordable, it’s the perennial favourite of Parisian bistros and one of those rare French wines that anglophone tourists can order with a reasonable hope of being understood.

It’s also an excellent traveller, and most is drunk outside France (about 60% of wine from Sancerre is exported, with about half of that going to the US). Sancerre has, in recent years, become the go-to white for many wine lovers, especially in the US.

Jon-David Headrick, an American importer who specialises in Loire wines, says: ‘Sancerre has become the de facto shorthand for “a good French wine” in the American imagination, with its reputation often eclipsing even the specifics of grape variety or origin.’

Tourist draw

The appellation is centred on the hilltop village of Sancerre.

Considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in France, with its medieval jumble of narrow streets and picture-postcard vineyard views in all directions, it has long been a popular destination for wine tourists thanks to its relative proximity to the capital.

Looking out from the top of the village, a sparkling stretch of the Loire river contrasts with the undulating emerald sea of Sauvignon Blanc vines that extends as far as the eye can see.

Reds and rosés are the sideshow here: Sancerre is all about its distinctive, mineral whites.

Today, there’s evidence that Sancerre is moving beyond reliable everyday whites to something rather more special.

Among the top growers, there has been a proliferation of cuvées focusing on individual sites.

François Dal, a technical consultant for the appellation’s winemakers, recalls: ‘Twenty years ago, each producer made just one or two cuvées – and the second was often just an oak-aged version of the first. Some vignerons isolated certain terroirs, but it was not the norm.’

According to Dal, change was accelerated by a new generation of winemakers who trained in Burgundy and drew inspiration from the focus on terroir that they saw there.

Both wine regions lie within the Paris basin, so they have the same underlying geology.

Known locally as ‘terres blanches’, the Kimmeridgian marls (a mix of limestone and clay) of Sancerre are barely 100km away from those of Chablis to the northeast.

High-quality wines grown from these soils can express remarkable similarities in the glass: the taste is of the terroir, not Chardonnay or Sauvignon. This notion is reinforced by the attitude of the growers to their signature grape.

Arnaud Bourgeois, of Domaine Henri Bourgeois (pictured, below), says: ‘In Sancerre, we have no interest in the variety. We don’t want to make varietal wines.’

Some of Sancerre’s better-known single-vineyard sites (lieux-dits)

Sancerre • Belle Dame • Les Romains • Pieuchaud (near Thauvenay)

Chavignol • Le Cul de Beaujeu • Les Chasseignes • Les Monts Damnés

Bué/Amigny • Chambrates • Chêne Marchand • Grand Chemarin • Guigne-Chèvres • La Moussière • Le Paradis • Petit Chemarin

Well grounded

Of far more interest to the vignerons these days is understanding the growing environment of their vines. And this is where the excitement lies.

While wine-growers everywhere rhapsodise over the qualities of their terroir, in Sancerre they have more to talk about than most, with their very own geological fault running north-south through the appellation (see map).

This fracturing of the Earth’s crust has generated a complexity of soils that’s as interesting for Sancerre’s wines as it is for students of geology.

Harnessing the value of these terroirs has become the focus of today’s growers looking to produce wines that are a true reflection of place, and tasting these differences can be fascinating.

Clément Berthier, owner and winemaker of Vignobles Berthier and president of the Sancerre growers’ association, explains: ‘We are not making Sauvignon Blanc; we are working with Sauvignon Blanc.’

This move towards greater precision and understanding of site marks a qualitative shift in the wines of Sancerre and is good news for growers and wine lovers alike.

Headrick says: ‘There’s still a lot of classic Sancerre made by blending across different soils, but the new wave of site-specific bottlings has really taken things to another level. The terroir here is incredibly complex, and the best wines are finally getting the attention they deserve.’

Domaine Vacheron, a family winery that goes back four generations, was an early adopter of bottling terroir-specific wines. ‘It was intuitive for us,’ says winemaker Jean-Laurent Vacheron (pictured, above). ‘The lieux-dits were identified hundreds of years ago: nothing has changed.’

While the domaine makes a fine Sancerre from grapes blended from different sites, most of the Vacheron wines come from individual parcels that are typically reflected in the name of the wine, for example Guigne-Chèvres and Les Romains.

These wines, all produced in the same way, provide an insight into the differences between the lieux-dits, from the powerful mineral tension of flinty Les Romains to the richer, floral fruitiness of the stony-clay Guigne-Chèvres.

In his book Les Terroirs Sancerrois (Loubatieres, 2020), Thibaut Boulay quotes from a 1679 text in which the author advises: ‘Fifty steps more or less from one vine to another is enough to make a difference.’

Anyone visiting the vineyards today can clearly see these differences, so it’s hardly surprising that there can be such a wide array of styles. It’s almost more surprising that grapes from such different soils have been blended for so long.

When to drink top Sancerre

Sancerre is usually drunk on release or very soon after. Simple Sauvignon, with fresh, grassy fruit in the green spectrum of flavours, is likely to lose its youthful appeal quickly and risk developing vegetal characters if kept more than a couple of years.

However, the finest wines of Sancerre, often from single-vineyard sites, are quite different.

For one thing, they’re usually older on release, having been aged on lees for up to 18 months before bottling. While most are approachable young, many will improve significantly in bottle.

At Henri Bourgeois, the library of wines shows conclusively that Sancerre can age deliciously for 30 years or more.

But is this the best time to drink them? Most Sancerre vignerons advise drinking their wines when they are ‘young’, but by this they rarely mean as soon as they are released.

‘There is a sweet spot after a few years when the wines taste their best,’ says Jennifer Denizot, of Domaine Denizot.

Alphonse Mellot suggests that for his wines, ‘it’s best to wait four to five years’. Other growers agree.

François Cotat, whose wines have legendary ageability, bottles his production quickly, ‘to keep energy and youth in the bottle so it can age for a long time’. His advice? ‘Wait five years before opening, and then carafe the wine.

Quality divide

So can it be said that Sancerre’s status in 2025 has risen from bistro quaffer to fine wine? In some cases, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.

There are wines of mineral depth and complexity from domaines such as Claude Riffault, François Crochet, Jean-Philippe Agisson, Lucien Crochet, Paul Prieur, Vacheron, Vincent Pinard and many more.

The parcel-by-parcel approach to winemaking has given growers a greater understanding of their land and resulted in more expressive wines.

But although the overall quality of Sancerre wines has risen considerably, there is still a divide between the best and the rest.

There are about 300 growers in Sancerre, and some are undoubtedly trading on the well-known name with little justification in the bottle for the premium it attracts.

A lot of Sancerre wine is safe, predictable and drinkable. But to produce thrilling wines that really speak of their origins requires a lot of work.

Precise picking

Sauvignon Blanc needs careful handling. The use of machine harvesters is a sensitive topic here.

Most Sancerre is picked by machine, and the results can be perfectly good – especially if the grapes need to be picked in a hurry. But for virtually all the top wines, the grapes are hand harvested.

At Domaine Serge Laloue in Thauvenay, Franck Laloue (pictured, above) cautions: ‘If you harvest by machine, you risk having wines that are more varietal because of the broken skins [because the machines shake the fruit from the vines].’ He uses machines for many of his sites, but not for his single-vineyard wines.

The best vignerons verge on obsessive in the care they lavish on their grapes and the lengths they go to in the cellar to craft their wines.

This precision wine-growing results in higher prices but, compared to the quality, great Sancerre still offers value.

Unlike in Burgundy, there is no official hierarchy of vineyard sites in Sancerre. Some lieux-dits have long been known to produce superior wines, although (as in Burgundy) the site’s name is no guarantee of quality.

The best advice for discovering the complexities of Sancerre’s terroir is to find a good producer and explore their range.

And if you have the chance, why not do it in situ? Call it research.

Blanning’s best: Eight sincere Sancerres

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• Loire wine exports hit highest value in 24 years

Exports of Loire Valley wine rose 5.9% by value in 2024, reaching €200m and marking a record since 2000, according to data from trade body InterLoire and French customs.

The increase in value has been attributed to a rising demand on the export market for higher-value bottles, particularly in the sparkling and white wine categories which together made up 80% of the export value last year. Chenin Blanc stood out as particularly popular abroad.

Five countries – the US, Germany, the UK, Belgium and Canada – represented 70% of export value last year, while the strongest growth markets were areas which currently have far lower levels of Loire wine representation: the Baltic States, Italy, the UAE and Finland.

The positive trend for the region was also reflected in a 5% rise in volume from 2023. Last year it exported 55 million bottles, representing 22% of total Loire wine sales.

‘Exports are a true growth driver for our sector. We are proud of the strong results achieved in 2024, which have allowed us to be among the most dynamic French wine regions abroad,’ said Camille Masson, president of InterLoire.

‘We are taking another step towards the ambition set out in our Loire 2030 plan, which is to reach 30% of volumes exported by 2030,’ Masson added.

Sparkling and white wine exports also fared well by volume, recording 12% and 4% respective growth year-on-year. Volumes of red and dry rosé, however, fell by 5% and off-dry rosé by 2%.

More than half of the overall export by volume was accounted for by German, US and Belgian markets, all three of which experienced growth.

Exports of French wine fell 3% to €10.9bn in 2024 as foreign consumers sought out less expensive alternatives to costly Bordeaux and Champagne. While higher-value Loire wines have been popular on the export market for the past 20 years, these largely remain lower in cost-per-bottle than wines from some other major French regions.

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Are you looking for Loire wines with a difference? Whites beyond Sauvignon Blanc, or Gamays with real character? Do you want to surprise wine-loving friends with a wine they’ve never tried?

Then look no further than the ‘Loire Volcanique’.

The area referred to as the Loire Volcanique covers four appellations, situated upstream towards the source of the Loire river. In fact, the area is only 70km directly west of Beaujolais and the top of the northern Rhône.

The appellations are Côte Roannaise and Côtes du Forez on the upper Loire itself; St-Pourçain, and Côtes d’Auvergne on the tributary of the Allier; as well as the associated IGPs Val de Loire, Puy-de-Dôme and Urfé.

After many decades in the doldrums, this picturesque region is now making some of the most interesting and exciting wines in the Loire.

Scroll down for notes and scores for 15 great Loire Volcanique wines to try

These range from delicious, easy-drinking, unoaked examples, to serious wines aged in oak – or, increasingly, in amphorae – that have the potential to develop and age well, from both long-established domaines and ambitious newcomers.

Rise and fall and rise again

Currently there are just 1,315ha planted in the whole of the Loire Volcanique area, but all four appellations were considerably larger in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Côtes d’Auvergne in particular had very substantial vineyards at this time, profiting from the demise of the vineyards of the Midi, which were being consumed by phylloxera.

In the last decade of the 19th century, there were over 44,000ha of vines planted in the Puy-de-Dôme department. In Boudes, one of the five crus of the Côtes d’Auvergne, there are the remains of abandoned terraces on the steep hillside.

However, the four appellations eventually succumbed to phylloxera around the time of the First World War, and were subsequently impacted by rural depopulation, so this area sharply declined in importance.

Despite its small size, this region is now enjoying a renaissance, with a number of dynamic producers making very good, interesting wines under AP, IGP and Vin de France labels.

A painter’s palette of grape varieties

The wines are made from a range of grape varieties, including Aligoté, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gamay, Pinot Gris and Noir, Riesling, Roussanne, Syrah, Tressallier and Viognier.

This wide range, quite different from those found in the other parts of the Loire, reflects just how far south Côtes du Forez and Auvergne are, with St-Pourçain and Côte Roannaise being slightly further north.

The southern-most villages are on the same latitude as Côte-Rotie, so it makes sense to plant Viognier, Roussanne and Syrah.

Red and rosé

Gamay is the dominant grape variety – Côte Roannaise and Côtes du Forez reds must be made from 100% Gamay. There are two local variants: Gamay St-Romain (Roannaise and Forez) and Gamay d’Auvergne (Côtes d’Auvergne).

Pinot Noir is allowed in Côtes d’Auvergne and St-Pourçain but never 100%. That said, very good 100% Pinot Noirs are available bottled as IGPs or Vin de France.

White

A very interesting range of white varieties are used – principally Chardonnay (Auvergne and St-Pourçain) and Tressallier, which is St-Pourçain’s local grape variety.

In addition Aligoté, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Gris, Riesling, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier also feature.

Remnants of a volcanic past

As the name suggests, the region is known for its extinct volcanoes.

In the Côtes d’Auvergne area, the Puy-de-Dôme itself is the highest of the region’s extinct volcanoes, and is notable for being a famous climb in the Tour de France cycle race.

In the Côtes du Forez, Château Sainte Anne is an ancient fortified castle which perches atop a volcanic peak, high above the village of Marcilly-le-Châtel, a site which dates back to the beginning of the 11th century. Cave Verdier-Logel has some of its vines here, on the steep slopes.

Many of the region’s vines are planted on volcanic soils, especially granite and basalt. These soils help to give the wines their attractive freshness, which is further aided by the altitude of the vineyards.

Gilles Bonnefoy in the Côtes du Forez has some vines at 600m, while Domaine Sérol (Côte Roannaise) has a parcel at 500m. Thus wines made with Rhône varieties are often fresher than those from the Rhône Valley.

In contrast, the vineyards of Sancerre top out at around 300m.

Appellation facts

St-Pourçain: (600ha) The most northerly appellation in the Allier Valley, where it is joined by its tributary, the Sioule. Reds: Gamay and Pinot Noir. Whites: Chardonnay and Tressallier.

Côtes d’Auvergne: (350ha) This AP straddles the north and south of Clermont-Ferrand, with vines up to 550m in altitude. Reds: Gamay and Pinot Noir. Whites: Chardonnay. Other: Also some Syrah in IGP and Vin de France.

Côte Roannaise: (215ha) Spread across 14 communes on the eastern foothills of the Monts de la Madeleine, with vines up to 500m in altitude. Reds and rosé: Gamay.

Côtes du Forez: (150ha) The most southerly of the four appellations, with vineyards widely scattered on the foothills of Monts de Forez with vines up to 600m. The most southerly vineyards are south of Lyon and in line with Côte-Rotie and Vienne. Reds and rosé: Gamay.

Climate

The climate is semi-continental with dry, relatively brief cold winters in comparison to the rest of the Loire, followed by hot summers.

The region has both the lowest minimum average January temperatures and the highest maximum average summer temperatures, along with substantially more annual sunshine, than elsewhere in the Loire, according to Meteo France.

Saint-Etienne enjoys 1,985 sunshine hours per annum – around 200 more than Nantes.

The region benefits from being in a rain shadow, and from the Foehn effect, whereby a warm, dry wind descends the leeward slopes of the mountains.

Sadly, frost is a perennial threat and 2021 saw severe damage, while violent summer hailstorms are also a problem.

Every time I visit this lovely, picturesque region I discover something exciting and new. Last year it was the dramatic Mont-Georges – a steeply sloping, terraced vineyard in St-Pourçain, a recent joint venture planted by a collection of three estates.

Previously it was the steep Bouthéran vineyard in the Côte Roannaise.

I am sure these remarkable sites would be famous if they were found in Burgundy or the Rhône.

Green approach

Many of the leading domaines are either organic, biodynamic or both, and this is borne out by many of the wines that showed best in this tasting.

Unfortunately, all too often green credentials do not extend to bottle weight. Excessively heavy bottles are still favoured by too many producers, perhaps mistakenly seeking to give their wines extra prestige.

Of the 80 wines tasted, and the 15 featured here, overall the standard was impressive. The most consistent appellation was Côte Roannaise, with some excellent wines from AP, IGP and Vin de France bottlings.

The fascinating wines of the Loire Volcanique await you.

Top producers to know:

St-Pourçain

Clos de Breuilly – a recently established, high quality, ambitious domaine. 2020 was the first vintage.

Domaine des Bérioles – run by Jean Teissèdre, sister Sophie Roux and her husband Jérôme, this organic domaine is one of the best in the Upper Loire.

Domaine Grosbot-Barbara – Denis Barbara, the loose-limbed rock star of St-Pourçain, had the vision and determination to create the beautiful vineyard of Mont-Georges.

Côte Roannaise

Domaine Sérol – a model organic and biodynamic estate with vines up to 500m and an excellent range of wines, including a long-term partnership with the famous Troisgros family.

Domaine des Pothiers – now run by the dynamic Romain Paire who makes fine organic and biodynamic Côte Roannaise wines, including Riesling.

Côtes du Forez

Cave Verdier-Logel – the first serious independent producer here when the local cooperative was virtually the only producer in the area. It makes a fascinating range of wines including Riesling. Jacky Logel is one of the region’s great characters.

Les Vins de la Madone, Gilles Bonnefoy – an excellent producer with some of the highest vines up to 600m, and biodynamic since 2009.

Côtes d’Auvergne

Bénoît Montel – an excellent and consistent producer based in Riom just north of Clermont-Ferrand.

Desprat-Saint-Verny – a cooperative now owned and managed by the Desprat family. By far the largest Auvergne producer and a frequent medallist at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

15 Loire Volcanique wines to try

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The river Loire drains into the Atlantic ocean on France’s western coast just south of Brittany. Stretching between the coast and roughly 120km inland are the vineyards of the Nantais.

This area comprises four Muscadet appellations (Muscadet, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu), along with the three lesser-known APs of Gros Plant du Pays Nantais, Coteaux d’Ancenis and Fiefs Vendéens.

Muscadet’s popularity boomed in the 1980s, notably in the UK. In the vineyard, yields exploded but quality inevitably fell. Since then, a number of leading producers – including Jo Landron, Vincent Caillé, Domaine Luneau-Papin and Domaine de la Pépière – have forged a distinct identity for their wines, and overall quality has increased immensely.

Outside interest in the region is growing: Champagne house Billecart-Salmon invested in Muscadet’s Domaine Bretaudeau in 2023.

But Muscadet still suffers from its stereotyping as a simple, high-acid, oyster-friendly wine, not helped by the volumes of mass-produced, over-filtered, over-sulphured wine still made here at entry level; on average, 40 million bottles of Muscadet are produced annually.

Scroll down for notes and scores of 18 superb Muscadet wines

Fine wine potential

The region’s climate is fickle, with the threat of frost, hail and disease pressure high. The 2024 growing season saw more than double the normal amount of rainfall in many areas. Yields were down 60% at Famille Lieubeau and 80% at Domaine Ménard-Gaborit – a bitter pill to swallow for 30-year-olds François Ménard and his wife Pauline, who took over the family domaine in 2021. Overall, the Nantais region reported its smallest ever harvest.

Still, Muscadet wines can be exciting. The Melon B grape (informally known as Melon and, occasionally, by its former name Melon de Bourgogne) is the focus, traditionally aged on lees in glass-lined cement tanks. In her 2024 book Wines of the Loire Valley (£35 Académie du Vin Library), DWWA Senior Judge for the Loire Beverley Blanning MW says: ‘There are no significant plantings of Melon anywhere else in the world, so these wines are some of the unique treasures of the Loire.’

Melon has an incredible ability, similar to Chardonnay in Burgundy and Riesling in Alsace, to project its terroir, which is especially interesting given the region’s complex array of ancient igneous and metamorphic bedrocks and soil types.

Cru development

The development of Muscadet’s 10 crus communaux sub-zones (seven confirmed and three awaiting approval at the time of writing) continues to elevate the profile of the wines of the region. Other appellations are gaining traction, too. Folle Blanche from Gros Plant du Nantais is proving popular for its high-acid, low-alcohol wines, as is light, fruity and refreshing rosé and red Gamay from Coteaux d’Ancenis.

But it’s the Muscadet crus that offer true fine wine potential, with the focus placed on older vines, picking later to push ripeness and bring power, and requiring long lees ageing (anything from 18 months to several years). The best combine concentration, structure, intense salinity and stoniness with elegance and delicacy, bringing a ‘lovely quality of weight without weight’, says Ben Llewelyn, owner of UK importer Carte Blanche.

So here’s another new year’s resolution to add to your list: don’t forget Muscadet.

18 fabulous Muscadet wines to seek out

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A devastating fire swept through the 800-year-old cathedral in April 2019, destroying the roof, the steeple and some of the vaulting. Workers have spent the past five years painstakingly rebuilding Notre-Dame Cathedral at a cost of €700m (£585m). The restoration is now complete, and the grand reopening will take place on Sunday 8 December.

The Archbishop of Paris has selected a natural wine made by Régis and Anne-Reine Anouil in the Loire Valley to serve as the sacramental wine during the ceremony.

Their wines were previously poured for Pope Francis when he visited Marseille in October 2023, and he enjoyed the red over dinner with Bishop Jean-Marc Aveline, the Archbishop of Marseille.

Régis Anouil contacted Bishop Laurent Ulrich, the Archbishop of Paris, a few weeks ago to suggest that their white blend could serve as the mass wine for the ceremony.

He said: ‘I explained to Bishop Ulrich that our natural wines correspond to what the (Roman) Congregation for Divine Worship requires for the consecrated species: the wine must be fermented grape juice and nothing else.’

He noted that billionaires such as LVMH founder Bernard Arnault and Kering founder François Pinault played a major role in funding the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral.

‘These two personalities are owners of some of the most renowned wines of our country: Yquem, Cheval Blanc, Clos des Lambrays, Château Latour, Clos de Tart and many others,’ said Régis Anouil. ‘Why then choose our wine, from the Domaine de La Bénisson-Dieu, rather than the wines of personalities who have, in their bag, such iconic wines?

‘No doubt because Bishop Ulrich was sensitive to our approach, to the fact that our young estate is run by convinced Catholics, eager to implement viticulture and winemaking that is particularly respectful of life.’

Régis Anouil was formerly the editor-in-chief at an information agency run by a Catholic missionary organisation in Paris. His wife was the chancellor of the diocese of Nanterre.

They both retired in 2017 and decided to become winegrowers. The couple moved to an eco-hamlet in the Loire Valley called La Bénisson-Dieu.

The hamlet is near the city of Roanne, and the eight families that live there aim to enjoy ‘a simpler life’ that is made up of ‘renewed social ties in the rural world’.

Régis and Anne-Reine Anouil run a 2.6-hectare vineyard within the hamlet. They produce approximately 10,000 bottles per year, including red, white and rosé.

‘We manage our vines using agroforestry and try to respect life in our soils as much as possible,’ said Régis Anouil. ‘Our wines are natural, labelled Vin Méthode Nature, which means that they are made only from fermented grape juice.

‘The wines are vinified without traumatic processes, without any of the inputs of modern oenology – wines neither fined, nor filtered, nor sulphites.’

The couple’s white wine – a blend of Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc and Clairette Blanche from the 2022 and 2023 vintages – will serve as the sacramental wine during the grand reopening of Notre-Dame, and during subsequent masses held throughout the following week.

‘Mass wines are most often over-sweetened and over-sulphured wines,’ said Régis Anouil. ‘Even before becoming a winemaker, I was not at ease with the fact that the wines brought to the altars were not healthy. Now that we are winemakers, offering our natural wines is an element that counts in our eyes.’

He said the hamlet felt ‘great humility’ after learning that their white wine had been chosen for the Notre-Dame ceremony. ‘This fruit of the earth and the work of men is our very modest offering to the immense surge of generosity that accompanies the reconstruction of the cathedral of Paris,’ he added.

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The mayor of Savennières said that ‘the local profession is stunned’ by the passing of Evelyne de Pontbriand, who died in her sleep on 5 November in Angers.

Evelyne de Pontbriand was born into a distinguished family of female vigneronnes in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Although she initially pursued a career in education, she returned to her ancestral home in 2001 to take over the family business, Domaine du Closel – Château des Vaults.

Her mother, Michèle Bazin de Jessey, handed her the reins, and that marked the beginning of a transformative chapter for Domaine du Closel and the wider Savennières appellation in the Loire Valley.

Evelyne de Pontbriand brought a new lease of life to the historic family estate, which can trace its roots back to the 15th century.

She placed a heavy emphasis on sustainability, and she set about converting the vineyards to organic and biodynamic production.

Another key focus was expression of terroir, so she partnered with a renowned local geologist to catalogue and study each vineyard parcel in painstaking detail.

Meanwhile, she overhauled the winemaking process. Her move to a natural approach in the cellar, employing indigenous yeasts and minimal sulphur, underscored her mission to craft wines that truly captured the essence of Savennières.

‘Being as close as possible to the rhythms that affect both the vine and the wine produced from it, helping the vine to help itself, to use living things to perpetuate life, seemed to me to be the path to excellence,’ she told Decanter.com in 2020.

Her wines earned strong reviews and high scores from critics, which helped to put Savennières on the map.

She was equally adept at the commercial side of the business, establishing new markets and bolstering sales across Europe, North America and Asia.

Evelyne de Pontbriand served as the president of the Savennières appellation from 2008 to 2016.

Midway through her tenure, she told wholesaler Louis Dressner: ‘When I was first elected, I wasn’t too sure what I was supposed to do. So I decided to gather all the vignerons, get them drunk, and asked what they expected of me. It worked out great.

‘We debated on what we expected of our appellation, and I suppose this is the role of the president: to create an identity and to communicate it to the rest of the world.’

Her leadership inspired a renewed focus on Chenin Blanc, while also boosting wine tourism in the region. She said she felt ‘a great ambiance between everyone in Savennières’ during her time in charge of the appellation.

She also co-founded the Académie du Chenin, hosted the first international congress of Chenin Blanc, and served as a tireless champion of the grape variety on the global stage.

Beverley Blanning MW, wine writer and Decanter contributor, paid tribute to de Pontbriand on Instagram: ‘A pioneer of the Savennières appellation, she was a woman of great energy, passion, kindness and humour.

‘She always made time to talk and to taste, always with her characteristic, infectious smile.’

Evelyne de Pontbriand is survived by her husband, Gael de Pontbriand, her four children – Isaure, Gersende, Romuald and Aymeric – and six grandchildren.

In a statement, her family said it remains ‘committed to honouring Evelyne’s legacy in Savennières, ensuring her vision and passion live on’.

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In the Loire Valley, the emerging consensus is that there is no pattern to the weather, prompting Muscadet’s Famille Lieubeau to wonder if there is such a thing as ‘normal’ anymore.

Its conclusion? ‘From a climate point of view, no two years are the same’.

Scroll down to see Beverley Blanning MW’s selection of the best new releases of white Loire wines

Risk of rot

This sentiment is by no means unique to the western Loire in 2023; the vintage presented a range of problems for white-wine makers across the region. By the time harvest arrived, growers had a bumper crop of healthy grapes on their hands – but most had endured plenty of drama along the way.

The early season started well, with no significant frost. After successful flowering and fruit set, the vines were laden with fruit. Everyone had their fingers crossed for a good-sized, healthy crop.

But in June, humidity set in, causing widespread mildew pressure that persisted throughout the season.

Growers had to be vigilant to protect their grapes. Temperatures fluctuated wildly, from excessively cool to near-tropical, with the ever-present threat of rot.

Growers in Vouvray had an additional challenge – acid rot. Julien Pinon, of François et Julien Pinon, says, ‘grey rot is a fungus, but acid rot is caused by a bacteria that turns wine into vinegar. It’s very rare – the last time this happened was in 2014’.

Because the rot originates inside the berries, it can be hard to spot, but Pinon says, ‘In some parcels, you didn’t need to see it – you could smell it.’

He says that fruit selection in the vineyard was the key to making good wine. ‘We discarded 20% of the grapes; some colleagues threw away as much as 40%,’ he says. The 2023 vintage will favour the minority who harvest by hand in Vouvray.

Across the Loire

Chenin Blanc also suffered in other appellations, especially Anjou, where the cool, humid weather persisted throughout August, followed by heavy rain in September.

Domaine Belargus declares that 2023 was the rainiest harvest in the area for 10 years. Again, sorting was key to quality. Harvest at Belargus took two months.

Sarah Hwang, of Domaine Huet in Vouvray, reports a similarly long and complicated harvest, with 2023 taking twice as long as 2022.

Elsewhere, and for other varieties, harvest conditions were rather easier. In Muscadet, the early ripening Melon de Bourgogne escaped the rain and benefited from a late summer heatwave that concentrated both sugar and, unusually, acidity. There are some excellent wines to be found here.

In the vineyards around Sancerre and further south, growers enjoyed a very healthy and high-volume vintage.

See all of Beverley Blanning MW’s top Loire latest releases here

What to expect

Despite the problems of the growing season, the high and early crop load has translated to very high yields across the Loire this year. Volumes are up more than 20% on the 2022 vintage and at the highest recorded levels of the last five years.

Many appellations yielded the maximum permitted levels. Higher yields are harder to ripen successfully – dilution has been a noticeable issue in some of the earlier released 2023 Sauvignons.

The white wines are in the more classical Loire style, with cooler, restrained flavours, moderate alcohols and refreshing acidity. These will be shorter-term wines than those of 2022, which was a vintage of exuberant fruit and good concentration.

Loire white wines: Know your vintages

2019: Following severe frosts, vines produced a low crop of very good quality grapes. The wines show freshness, concentration and balance, and will age well. 5/5

2020: A warm vintage of good quality and ripeness, but with a tendency for higher alcohols, as sugars rose rapidly late in the season. 4/5

2021: A year of devastating frosts all over France that severely affected the Loire. Frosts were followed by a cool growing season that favoured white production. A small volume of delicate, high-quality wine was made. There are some delicious, understated, crisp whites from this vintage. For the few growers who held out for botrytis, some outstanding sweet wines were made, too. 4/5

2022: This year was marked by drought, with heat so severe the vines closed down in summer. Nevertheless, it has produced excellent white wines with beautiful aromas and balanced acidities. There are many hugely appealing wines here. 4/5

2023: One of the most complicated vintages in recent memory, testing the abilities and resilience of vignerons throughout the Loire. Of recent releases, the Muscadets appear to be very successful, the Sauvignons of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé less so. A vintage in which the skill of the grower was paramount. 3/5

Beverley Blanning MW’s book, The Wines of the Loire Valley, was published in October 2024 and is available to buy for £35

Decanter has partnered with Académie du Vin Library to offer Premium subscribers access to an exclusive discount for the book: use code DECLOIRE5 when purchasing the book here.

Beverley Blanning MW’s top Loire white latest releases:

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‘If people are more interested in the Loire these days, it’s because we have greatly profited from the changing climate’.

These are the words of Benoît Amirault, of Domaine Yannick Amirault in Bourgueil. It’s a sentiment echoed by many other red wine producers in the Loire Valley.

This is still a marginal climate for red wines, so the impact of the vintage is more pronounced here than in most other red wine regions.

Scroll down to see Beverley Blanning MW’s selection of the best new releases of red Loire wines

Recent years have seen some of the Loire’s most successful vintages yet for red wines. After the 2022 vintage, which Amirault describes as ‘great – a vintage I’d like to make every year,’ he euphemistically describes 2023 as ‘un millésime sport’, referring to the amount of activity required in the vines.

Thanks to the humidity, Amirault had to treat his vines for mildew 13 times during the growing season, compared with just five times in 2022.

The growing season

The 2023 vintage started out very well. There was no frost to speak of and the fruit set was good. It looked as if the Loire might be shaping up for a bumper harvest.

It was also a warm vintage: at France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), researcher Etienne Neethling calculated 2023 to be the second-warmest Loire growing season on record (second only to 2022).

Yet the two consecutive vintages could hardly be more different. Whereas 2022 was a year of persistent sunshine, heat and drought, 2023 was characterised by cloudy, cool and humid weather throughout most of the growing season, providing ideal conditions for fungal diseases.

Growers had to be vigilant to keep mildew and rot at bay. Heterogeneous weather was recorded across the region, but it was more a question of how badly each vineyard was suffering, rather than some areas doing well at the expense of others.

Summer strife

Then, at the end of August, a heat wave hit, with temperatures reaching 40°C. While the heat helped to complete ripening in some vineyards, in others its severity caused the vines to shut down, stalling ripening altogether.

The heat was quickly followed by a series of September storms, swelling the grapes and diluting the juice.

All in all, 2023 was another uniquely difficult harvest for Loire growers. Hervé Malinge, of Domaine des Sables Verts in Saumur-Champigny, comments, ‘It was a very challenging vintage. When we started, the acids were too high and the alcohol was too low; a week later the situation was reversed. It was hard to manage the fermentation.’

His solution was to remove half of the skins during the fermentation, to make a lighter, juicier wine. But the key to success in 2023, he says, was sorting fruit in the vineyard.

See all of Beverley Blanning MW’s top Loire latest releases here

What to expect

Already, comparisons are being made locally to the 2021 vintage. The red wines of both 2021 and 2023 are certainly for earlier drinking than the 2022s. Some of the youthful early releases from 2023 are very attractive, showing riper, rounder fruit than the somewhat lean 2021s, balanced by supple tannins.

Thierry Germain, of Domaine des Roches Neuves in Saumur-Champigny, says the 2023 vintage has produced ‘the flesh of 2022, with the finesse of 2021 and fine tannins’.

The majority of the wines recommended below are from the excellent 2022 vintage, another unusual year where growers were rewarded with sunshine and beautifully ripe, healthy grapes across all varieties.

There was some risk of over-extracted tannins in the drought-thickened skins of Cabernet Franc in 2022, so some of these wines need time. But for the most part, pure fruit shines through.

In Sancerre and the vineyards of the central Loire, the Pinot Noirs are succulent and full of charm, with beautifully ripe, balanced fruit. The Gamays of the Auvergne are also delightful, with fleshy fruit and no excess.

In summary, the 2023 vintage relied heavily on the skill and dedication of growers. Yields for reds were slightly above average and early tastings show wines that are light and refreshing in style, mostly for drinking in the next five to six years.

Growers have learned that they need to be ready for all eventualities, and to expect the unexpected.

Chinon-based Jérôme Billard, of Domaine de la Noblaie says, ‘The biggest challenge now is the climate; everything else we can manage.’

Loire red wines: Know your vintages

2019: Spring frosts affected many areas, reducing yields, but what remained produced concentrated wines with excellent balance and ageing potential. 5/5

2020: This was a very warm, high-quality vintage, although not quite at the level of 2019 across the board, due to some elevated alcohol levels. Nevertheless, some excellent wines were made. 4.5/5

2021: A very difficult vintage, affected first by severe frosts across the region and then by a cool summer, leaving smaller crops that struggled to ripen. The best producers made wines that are light, fragrant and really very attractive, but many other wines are rather lean and tart. 3/5

2022: An excellent vintage for red wines, with plush, ripe, generous fruit. A keeper, although many of the wines are already delicious now (see recommendations below) 5/5

2023: This vintage challenged the morale and resources of growers, who battled throughout the season for the health of their crop. Successful early releases show attractive wines with balanced, ripe fruit and gentle tannins. 4/5

Beverley Blanning MW’s book, The Wines of the Loire Valley, was published in October 2024 and is available to buy for £35

Decanter has partnered with Académie du Vin Library to offer Premium subscribers access to an exclusive discount for the book: use code DECLOIRE5 when purchasing the book here.

Beverley Blanning MW’s top Loire red latest releases:

Related articles

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The central region of the Loire valley has long been the source of some of the finest expressions of Sauvignon Blanc anywhere in the world.

While the wines of Quincy, Reuilly, Menetou-Salon and Pouilly-Fumé can all deliver the focused energy that Sauvignon achieves in this cooler wine-producing zone, it is still the wines of Sancerre that lead the pack.

Producers here range from family domaines of various sizes, to a few larger négociants and important (and high-quality) co-operatives.

Hubert Brochard is one of the key family domaines, with a history dating back to 1900.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for nine Brochard wines

Bollinger acquisition

In 2022, Hubert Brochard was acquired by the Bollinger group, adding another string to the bow of Bollinger’s Loire operations, which include the sparkling wines of Maison Langlois (purchased in 1973) and Château de Thauvenay in Sancerre (2016).

Both Bollinger and the Brochard family are keen to emphasise the joint benefits of the acquisition, with signs that the domaine is undergoing an exciting period of change.

The dynamic new team at Brochard is headed up by Chilean winemaker, Rodrigo Zamorano (previously at Errazuriz).

‘I’m amazed at the terroir diversity in Sancerre,’ says Zamorano.

He says that the new cellar (due to be in operation in 2025) will ‘push further into gravitational operations, with many small vats to enable an even greater focus on our parcel approach.’

These initiatives are already being supported by snazzy new branding.

I dealt with the Brochard family for many years when I was a wine buyer for Marks & Spencer. It was always clear to me that the family were committed to producing high-quality Sancerre and had a detailed understanding of each of the estate’s individual vineyards.

Bollinger’s new team appears set on raising the bar even higher. I have little doubt that Hubert Brochard will continue to be a benchmark producer of white, red and rosé Sancerre for many years to come.

Four generations

Hubert Brochard really began when Aimée Brochard inherited her father’s vines in the early 1900s, focusing – together with husband Hubert – on grape growing and the production of the classic goat’s cheese from the area, Crottin de Chavignol.

Their only son, Henri, took over with his wife Thérèse, becoming one of the first producers to purchase a tractor – a significant innovation at the time.

Daniel (the son of Henri and Thérèse) represented the next generation of the Brochard dynasty, with his wife Christiane joining him in the business in 1982. They were subsequently joined by their daughters, Caroline and Anne-Sophie, the latter continuing to work as winemaker following the Bollinger purchase.

The domaine

Hubert Brochard is one of the largest landowners in Sancerre, with 60ha: 45ha planted to Sauvignon Blanc, 15ha to Pinot Noir. Vine age ranges between 30-50 years.

As well as Sancerre, Brochard produces an excellent, highly typical Pouilly-Fumé from a vineyard located in Bois Gibault in the Nièvre department, on the right bank of the Loire. The estate also produces an easy-drinking IGP Val de Loire which delivers more tree-ripened and tropical fruit characters – although perhaps less appealing to Sancerre classicists.

Three distinctive terroirs

The domaine’s strength is its wealth of vineyards across the region’s three key soil types: caillottes, terres blanches and silex.

The limestone caillottes and terres blanches have strong Kimmeridgian connections and tend to be found around Sancerre village and further to the south and west. The flinty silex soils are more prevalent to the east of Sancerre and on the right bank of the river in Pouilly-Fumé.

These three distinctive terroirs are showcased through Brochard’s range of wines.

Château de Fontaine-Audon Terre de Silex is an impressive Sancerre with dominant white pepper notes and struck-match character, combining elegance and power. Zamorano says ‘the different colours of silex, from different origins, lead to varied styles of Sauvignon. The tension that silex brings to the wines is outstanding.’

Château de Thauvenay Terres Blanches showcases some of the highest slopes on 70% chalk and 30% clay, producing a Sancerre which seems to be fatter and richer. This has more of a New World feel to it, with plenty of palate weight, despite a relatively modest 12.5% alcohol. It is not as refined as some of the domaine’s other cuvées.

In contrast, Les Trois Coteaux Terres de Caillottes shows a distinct Kimmeridgian character, reminding the drinker that – although this is a completely different grape variety to Chardonnay – certain Sancerres bear a striking resemblance to Premier Cru Chablis. Sea-shell freshness on the nose combines with an energetic and focused palate, presenting a fine Sancerre with ageing potential.

The single-vineyard wines

At the top of the Brochard tree are the two single-vineyard wines: La Côtes de Monts Damnés and Le Cul de Beaujeau.

Brochard owns a significant 1.12ha in La Côtes de Monts Damnés, with a smaller 0.5ha plot in the rarer, but equally fine, Cul de Beaujeu.

These wines compare favourably in both quality and price to grand cru Burgundy, from Chablis as well as the Côte d’Ôr.

Both have strong Kimmeridgian origins with the southeast orientation of Le Cul de Beaujeu giving more solar exposure and exhibiting a more forward, fruity character. The imposing slope of Monts Damnés (the ‘Hills of the Damned’) faces south, resulting in wines which are tightly wound and mineral. Both are stunning examples of fine, top-quality Sancerre.

An exciting future

Bollinger’s acquisition of Brochard looks promising. It is building on the domaine’s varied terroirs with an enthusiastic, dynamic winemaking team and serious investment in both the winery and in a new tourism centre, set to open in 2026. This is certainly a Sancerre estate to follow.

Nine Brochard wines to try

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France is expected to produce one of its smallest vintages of the past century, with Burgundy and the Loire Valley particularly hard hit by mildew and poor fruit set after an unusually wet start to the summer, according to an updated government forecast.

Wine production is estimated to fall 18% to 39.3 million hectolitres, a bigger drop than predicted a month ago, the agriculture ministry’s Agreste statistics unit said on Friday in a first breakdown of volumes by growing region. France produced only six smaller vintages in the past hundred years, including in 2021 and 2017, government data show.

‘This decline is due to particularly unfavourable weather conditions, which have reduced production potential in almost all wine-growing regions,’ Agreste said. Production ‘would remain slightly higher than the 2021 harvest, which was marked by a severe frost’.

The slump means France may lose its spot as the world’s largest wine producer, with Spain’s farm cooperatives expecting local volumes to climb to 39.7 million hectolitres in 2024 as growers there rebound from last year’s drought and hailstorms.

Many vineyards across France were affected by dropping of flowers and young berries, or coulure, as well as a variation in grape size, or millerandage, both the consequence of humid, cool weather during flowering, according to Agreste. Downy mildew affected most wine-growing areas, sometimes causing ‘significant losses’, while frost and hail also reduced volumes.

The production estimate was revised downward in particular because of a better assessment of flowering results in later growing regions, particularly Charentes, which produces the wine distilled into Cognac and where volumes are forecast to slump 35%.

Burgundy and Beaujolais will jointly produce 2.12 million hectolitres of wine, down 25% from a relatively big harvest from last year, according to the forecast. Mildew hurt production particularly in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or region, while disease and hail caused significant losses in Beaujolais.

Loire Valley volumes are estimated to fall 30% to 2.1 million hectolitres, after grapevines there flowered in cold and humid conditions, with mildew and coulure the main culprits.

In Bordeaux, where 8,000 hectares of vines is being uprooted this year as part of a government-backed grubbing-up plan, growers suffered a wide range of setbacks including again coulure and mildew, as well as hailstorms that damaged vineyards. Volumes are estimated to fall 10% to 3.89 million hectolitres to the lowest since 2017, the data show.

Champagne output of AOP wine is estimated to slump 19% to 2.34 million hectolitres, with spring frost an additional factor on top of poor fruit set, mildew and hail. In Languedoc-Roussillon, France’s biggest growing area and which sells much of its production in bulk, the volume of all wines is estimated to drop 4% to 10.6 million hectolitres.

In the South East including Provence, production is seen falling 12% to 4.42 million hectolitres, while the volume of wine from Alsace is estimated to fall 13% to 914,000 hectolitres. Among France’s smaller growing areas, growers in the Jura were particularly hard hit, with a severe frost and mildew cutting production by 71% to 35,000 hectolitres.

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Domaine Belargus was created by Ivan Massonnat in 2018. Born in Savoie, Massonnat spent his childhood in his grandfather’s vineyards developing a passion for wine.

‘Initially I concentrated on Burgundy, which was then still affordable,’ he says, ‘chasing the dream of one day becoming a wine producer making cool-climate wines from a single varietal. My aim was to be an active winemaker – this was not to be a retirement project.’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for nine vintages of Les Treilles plus nine more Belargus wines

Massonnat’s focus switched to the Loire when he and his wife bought a holiday home near Chinon and he became fascinated by the region’s wines, especially unfashionable Anjou and Chenin Blanc.

‘I started looking for a vineyard in 2016,’ says Massonnat, ‘As sweet wines were out of fashion, I had the luxury of choice and was offered lots of opportunities.’

‘On 6 February 2018 I met Jo Pithon, who was retiring and wanting to sell his Les Treilles vineyard,’ he says. This is now the estate’s top-tier vineyard, and the domaine is named after the blue Belargus butterfly found within it.

Les Treilles overlooks the River Layon and is remarkably steep and south facing.

The early days of Les Treilles

Although always passionate about making great wines, Pithon has unfortunately had a rollercoaster career.

From his plot of vines in the renowned Les Bonnes Blanches vineyard on the south side of the Layon in the commune of Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay, Pithon saw the potential of the very steep slopes of the Coteau des Treilles on the other side. After seeing a postcard from the 1920s showing vineyards along the steep south-facing hillsides of the Layon Valley, which had long been abandoned, Pithon and his wife Isabelle decided to undertake the massive task of clearing the scrub on this seven-hectare plot and resurrecting a vineyard, whose slopes range from 30 to 70 degrees, dedicated to Chenin Blanc.

Starting in the mid-1990s, it took 10 years to transform the steep scrubland into a vineyard. The first three years were spent buying 70 plots from 25 different owners. Two American admirers of Pithon’s wines financed the project and formed a company. This was fortunate as Pithon’s then partnership with Philippe Fournier, a local telecommunications tycoon and owner of Domaine FL, fell apart in early 2008, resulting in the loss of some of his vineyards, but thankfully not Les Treilles.

It took five years just to clear the hillside, and only 2.7ha could then be planted as the remainder is sheer cliff face. Planting started in 2000 and was completed in 2002 using massal-selected vines closely spaced and planted at a high density (7000 vines per hectare).

Les Treilles at a glance

The soils are a complex geological mix of schist, volcanic spilites, puddingstones and Devonian limestone. As this site had long been abandoned, no chemicals have ever been used here. It is already organic and now in conversion to biodynamics.

Very well protected from the cool of the north, Les Treilles has a unique Mediterranean-style microclimate due to the Foehn effect, whereby cool air travelling up one side of a hillside creates a warmer climate on the other side.

Annual temperatures in Les Treilles are on average 2˚C higher due to its steep south-facing slopes, boosted further by the many rocks. Since the 18th century botanists have identified plants here that are normally only found 400km further south.

2005 was the first vintage, of which there are few bottles left, but ones tasted in April 2019 and February 2020 were still good.

Les Treilles under Ivan Massonnat

Massonnat was immediately captivated by Les Treilles and the deal was completed on 5 September 2018. The harvest started just five days later.

At the same time he bought a large 10-hectare plot in Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru, as well as vines in Savennières (in particular the Clos des Ruchères vineyard that adjoins the lower part of the Roche-aux-Moines).

At the beginning of 2023 Massonnat gave up his Parisian life in finance to become a full-time vigneron, and the domaine now has 22ha of Chenin planted, with a further 7ha of land providing biodiversity in the form of trees, medicinal plants, animals and birds.

It is very rare in Anjou to concentrate on one sole grape variety, with most producers making a bewildering number of wines from a range of varieties.

Adrien Moreau, a young winemaker, joined the Belargus project at the start, and Augustin Fromageot, who was appointed in July 2022, is responsible for managing the estate’s biodiversity initiatives.

In October 2021 Massonnat bought Domaine de Beauséjour in Panzoult – potentially one of the top properties in the Chinon appellation. However, Beauséjour remains separate from Belargus, with its own team.

Although Massonnat is not interested in expanding Belargus, he has recently taken on two small parcels: Grand Beaupréau (0.33ha in Savennières) and the Pierre Couverte vineyard in Beaulieu-sur-Layon (Anjou – 0.8ha).

The latter is a parcel of land which features a dolmen – a neolithic stone monument – at its centre. Here Massonat has planted Chenin vines en échalas, an old way of growing Chenin in Anjou whereby a bush vine is grown against a wooden stake upon which the shoots are tied during the summer.

The ground is littered with stones, and ‘we discovered a subsoil of spilites – basaltic lavas which are very common in Beaulieu,’ says Massonnat. ‘They promise tense, chiselled and powerful wines.’

Massonnat’s work with this particular site reflects the Belargus philosophy overall:

‘We wanted to highlight the attractive wooded area around the parcel, which leads to a stream at the bottom, so we cleared some of the vegetation and were surprised to discover a dry-stone surrounding wall, right up to the edge of the stream. While preserving the trees and hedges that adorned this place, we planted three small plots of Chenin, leaving enough areas of brush for the many surrounding birds.’

Discover 18 incredible Chenin Blanc wines

Wines are listed in the following order: Les Treilles by vintage, then other Belargus wines by style then score.

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If the name Anjou doesn’t ring any bells, it’s probably because until recently, there has not been very much that’s Decanter-worthy to talk about.

This productive Loire region is known more for its inexpensive semi-sweet rosés than anything else. ‘People expect high-volume, standardised wine from Anjou,’ says winemaker Antoine Pouponneau of Grange Saint-Sauveur, who opts to produce his (excellent) Anjou wines under the humble Vin de France label.

But things have not always been this way…

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 20 Chenin Blancs from Anjou’s diverse soils

Anjou is widely considered to be the birthplace of Chenin Blanc, and the area was known for the calibre of its wines, both sweet and dry, made from this grape. It was so highly regarded, in fact, that Chenin was virtually the only grape planted – and it claimed all the best terroirs.

Even though Chenin’s history was overwritten throughout the 20th century to make way for more fashionable reds and rosés, the good news is that today this rich vinous heritage is being reclaimed. And it is dry Chenin that is leading the renaissance.

Two parts of a whole

Anjou’s vineyards lie mostly to the south of the Loire between the riverside towns of Angers and Saumur.

The region is the meeting place of geological eras hundreds of millions of years apart, which means that there is a vast diversity of soils and rocks to excite winemakers and geologists alike. For the more geologically challenged among us, these complexities can be helpfully simplified by classifying the soils according to their basic colour: dark or light.

These two divide the region more or less vertically down the middle (see map), with the dark soils to the west and paler ones to the east. The darker, more acidic soils, born from ancient volcanic and metamorphic rocks of the Armorican massif, tend to yield powerful wines that have savoury, mineral, saline flavours and often a trace of bitterness on the finish.

Wines from the appellations Savennières and Anjou are found in this part of the region. Further to the east, the paler soils are from the younger, sedimentary rocks of the Paris basin. Here, in the Saumur appellation, grapes grow on limestone, notably the pale tuffeau that was extensively quarried to build the many castles and homes found around the Loire valley. These soils give finely textured wines of bright fruit and crystalline acidity.

Comparing the styles of Chenin from these two terroirs, Thierry Germain of Domaine des Roches Neuves in Saumur, says: ‘The wines are worlds apart; it’s almost like tasting two separate varieties.’

Outside influence

Some of the most thrilling dry Chenins to emerge in the last few years have come from the catch-all appellation of Anjou. Many of these wines come from the valley of the Layon, a small tributary of the Loire that runs along the fault line that separates the Armorican massif and the Paris basin.

These rocky slopes are traditionally known for their sweet wines, such as those from the appellations Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux du Layon. The climate is mild and dry, so the grapes ripen fully, and in favourable vintages autumn mists rising from the river allow noble rot (Botrytis cinerea) to work its magic on the grapes. But, as any winemaker will tell you, making sweet wine is a risky and often uneconomic pursuit, so more and more growers are focusing on dry wines instead.

Since the wines are not sweet, they cannot be labelled with the names of the sweet appellations, just as dry white wines from Sauternes cannot be labelled as Sauternes. But these succulent and characterful dry whites offer a fascinating alternative perspective on these exceptional terroirs, and are becoming some of the most sought-after whites of the Loire.

The past decade has seen an influx of talent, bringing new life to the area – sometimes literally. Vanessa Cherruau acquired Château de Plaisance in 2019, and by the time the harvest came she found herself eight months’ pregnant. As luck would have it, her obliging daughter held off making an appearance until the crop was in. Cherruau is now president of the Chaume growers’ association and rarely seen not wearing her signature ‘Chaume Must Go On’ t-shirt, the slogan possibly inspired by the experience of her first vintage.

She farms 25ha to produce a range of wines heavily skewed towards terroir-specific, chiselled, mostly dry whites from the varied soils of the hill of Chaume. She says she’s aiming to produce ‘al dente Chenin: ripe and crunchy, not too golden’. She adds: ‘We pick with two buckets, separating out any berries with botrytis.’

Another notable newcomer is Ivan Massonnat of Domaine Belargus. In 2018, he purchased a selection of plots in Anjou, including a sizeable chunk of the Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru vineyard that had been languishing on the market for a decade.

He, too, saw the potential for dry wines here, although he recalls: ‘People thought I was crazy to make dry wine from the most expensive sweet wine terroir.’ Those people have probably long since eaten their words. His wines have rapidly become some of the most lauded and highly priced whites of the Loire, defying the belief of some of the older generation that no one is prepared to pay for good wine from Anjou.

‘We’ve broken the glass ceiling – from above,’ says Massonnat. ‘Compared to Burgundy, we are cheap.’ It’s easy to see how such wines would appeal to Burgundy lovers, with their generous, rounded fruit and persistent, mineral length.

The drier path

Among the longer-established producers of the Layon valley, young winemakers stepping into their parents’ shoes are also favouring dry wines over the more traditional sweet styles.

Fifth-generation winemaker Emmanuel Ogereau makes a range of consistently pure and seemingly effortless wines – though he is quick to point out that it’s not that easy: ‘Aromatically, Chenin is very shy here. I’m focused on mouth perception – texture, balance and terroir character,’ he says.

To the north of the Layon vineyards, the tiny village of Savennières, surrounded by vines, is perfectly situated on the north bank of the Loire. The gentle, oceanic climate, southerly exposure and steep, stony slopes have made it a natural choice for wine-growing for centuries.

Some of the sites – the micro-appellations of Roche aux Moines and Coulée de Serrant – have been producing wines since the 12th century. Here, Chenin is assertive in character, typically with silky texture, minerality and often the distinctive bitterness of the ‘Anjou noir’ dark soils.

Long known for the quality of its dry whites, there have nevertheless been radical changes here as well. Evelyne de Pontbriand, owner of Domaine du Closel and president of the Savennières appellation, explains: ‘Until 10 years ago, we all harvested the grapes late, with botrytis – just like the sweet Chenins. The wines were often harsh and tannic and needed 20 years before you could drink them.’ The past decade has seen a sea change in the way most wines are made. De Pontbriand says: ‘Now people harvest with no botrytis, and the wines are far more open and approachable.’

The Saumur vineyards suffered a similar fate to the rest of Anjou when much of the Chenin was replanted from the 1950s onwards. ‘All the great white terrains were pulled up to plant Cabernet Franc,’ recalls Germain at Roches Neuves. One such site is the now ironically named ‘Côte des Blancs’, which falls entirely within the red-only Saumur-Champigny appellation.

Return to favour

But even here, Chenin is making a comeback, with growers choosing to increase their plantings of the grape over Cabernet Franc and working to achieve cru recognition beyond the more basic Saumur Blanc appellation for this and other historic Chenin sites such as Brézé.

Winemakers emphasise terroir expression by separating production into site-specific cuvées. Growers such as Germain, Arnaud Lambert, Antoine Foucault (of Domaine du Collier) and Romain Guiberteau are producing consistently fine Chenins with the precision and chalky density that derive from these limestone-based soils.

Chenin Blanc still remains in a minority in Anjou, but the world is waking up to the superb quality of its wines and its untapped potential. Furthermore, the sustainability credentials of those leading the way are impressive: almost all of the wines recommended below are farmed organically and/or biodynamically, and producers anticipate a bright future for Anjou’s signature grape. Ivan Massonnat says: ‘To my mind, we will soon go back to a majority of Chenin. The hillsides will be reconquered. We are reconnecting with the greatness of the region.’

See notes and scores for 20 Chenin Blancs from Anjou’s diverse soils

Wines are ordered by Anjou blanc then Anjou noir soils, then by score.

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Fabien Gauthier owns Gauthier Frères, a stave mill and cooperage in Cher, Central Loire, with his brother Guillaume, the third generation of their family dedicated to merranderie. Known for their passion and precision, they select wood and Guillaume manufactures the staves that Fabien then works into barrels. Fabien’s sought-after barrels are used by producers all over the world.

How did you get here?

My father was a merrandier (‘stave miller’) and my brother had joined him at the mill. In the early 2000s, some coopers in France were establishing their own mills to control the whole production process. My father had the idea of doing the same and invited me to join the two of them in 2003 to set up our own tonnellerie (‘cooperage’). Having grown up surrounded by wood, the project immediately appealed to me. It allowed me to work in the forest, where we select our oak trees, to manufacture the staves alongside my brother, craft the barrels and sell them myself – a holistic approach, from forest to winemaker. My journey is also, therefore, a story of family and tradition.

What’s the best thing about your work?

The opportunity to train new coopers, and working with winemakers. Every year, I employ someone, without prior experience or training, whom I teach myself. It allows me to pass on our particular way of doing things, very artisanal and with utmost attention to detail. And the interaction with winemakers – tasting together, selecting staves, deciding on toasting levels – also gives me great pleasure. This exchange is what allows us to make ‘haute couture’: barrels tailored to their specific demands and wines.

And the worst?

All the paperwork and admin. French bureaucracy! All the rest, even if time-consuming and effortful, gives me great satisfaction.

Is there a special moment or achievement you recall fondly?

Over the past 20 years, I’ve shared many special moments with my 200 customers all over the world. But the opportunity to work with Domaine Coche-Dury in Meursault is particularly meaningful. Before we had our tonnellerie, they bought wood from my father, which they sent to other coopers. When I started, they became one of my first clients. That vote of confidence, from a renowned producer, was very motivating and reassuring. It also helped me to expand my client base, especially abroad. Above all, the fact that they were happy with the barrels I produced meant that I was on the right path.

And your greatest mistake?

Not investing in good machinery from the beginning. I spent years doing literally everything by hand. It takes a toll… You might not feel it when you’re young but it really wears you down. Had I been aware, I would have invested more, sooner. It has had a big impact on my physical well-being – my body is ‘spent’.

Are you very critical of wines fermented/aged in your barrels?

Definitely. I try to be objective, and when I notice that the wood influence does not please me I take note to make corrections. I try to keep a very critical mind, always learning. In the instances where I feel that it’s something to do with the winemaking, I need to be very diplomatic… In more problematic vintages, perhaps with higher volumes but less substance, the barrel cannot perform magic. You need enough depth and structure to integrate the wood.

What do you enjoy drinking at home?

I am a big Burgundy fan. I love Pinot Noir – also from the Central Loire – and Chardonnay. You could say that I’ve been ‘aged in Pinot Noir’! And I love our Sauvignon Blancs. So I’m just an ordinary Frenchman really. I love the wines from my own region and the one just next to it – the wines that shaped my taste and palate.

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You can be forgiven if you are unfamiliar with the Quarts de Chaume appellation. After all, when I mentioned to a well-known wine-writer colleague based in San Francisco that I was writing about it, he said, ‘What’s that?’

The appellation should be on every wine lover ’s radar, because it’s home to one of the world’s greatest sweet wines.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for Domaine des Baumard’s Quarts de Chaume

Only about 40ha in size, and shrinking, the appellation sits within the wider AP Coteaux du Layon in the Anjou district, in western Loire. It has the distinction of being the Loire’s sole grand cru, approved by the French National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO) in 2014.

About 20 producers bottle just over 50,000 bottles annually, which helps explain why the wines are not as well-known as they rightly should be – compare that figure to the five million bottles produced each year in Sauternes and Barsac, home to another of the world’s finest sweet wines.

Domaine des Baumard, with its 6ha, is the largest producer of Quarts de Chaume, and is certainly one of, if not the, best producers.

Just below this pinnacle lies two appellations, Coteaux du Layon Premier Cru Chaume and Bonnezeaux. Rounding out the area for sweet wines is the broader Coteaux du Layon appellation.

Quarts de Chaume’s history

Quality wine from this section of the Loire has been known for 1,000 years. Indeed, Quarts de Chaume takes its name from the custom of winegrowers paying the Abbess of Ronceray in Angers in the Middle Ages a quarter (quart, in French) of the crop from the famed south-facing slope that comprises the appellation.

Because of its complexity – a mixture of schist, sandstone, quartz, rhyolites and spilites (volcanic rock like basalt) – winemakers have called the soil of this sunny hillside along the Layon river, a tributary of the Loire, ‘geological chaos’.

Exposure to morning mist rising from the Layon allows for the development of botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. Though Chenin Blanc is required for producing Quarts de Chaume, botrytis is not necessary, according to the appellation regulations. Indeed, Florent Baumard, who took the reins from his father, Jean, in 1990, explains that botrytis has the potential to overwhelm the character of wines and to obliterate the sense of terroir.

Chenin Blanc is excellent for transmitting the taste of the vineyard, according to Baumard, so in his mind, it is important not to overshadow it with botrytis. He likes a blend of roughly a third each of botrytis-affected grapes, concentrated berries and ripe ones, ‘to bring freshness, happiness and elegance’, to the wine.

Domaine des Baumard chronicled

Baumard dates the domaine to 1634 when his ancestors were cultivating grapes on land that is still part of the estate. After phylloxera, Baumard family members became nurserymen, supplying the region with new vines.

In 1955, the modern history of the domaine began in earnest with the arrival of Jean Baumard. Having trained in oenology in Dijon and Bordeaux, he started buying vineyards, including, in 1957, the 6ha of Quarts de Chaume, whose vines now average 35 years of age.

Jean is widely credited with the revival of the appellation. His son, Florent, returned to the domaine in 1987 after studying in England and the US, and became general director on Jean’s retirement in 1990.

In the vineyard and cellar

The two critical points in winemaking are picking and pressing the grapes, according to Baumard. He explains that harvesting Chenin Blanc for Quarts de Chaume is especially difficult because ripeness of the berries even within a bunch is variable.

As in other parts of the world known for sweet or late harvest wines, pickers go through the vineyard multiple times, harvesting by hand, selecting only the best bunches and discarding unsatisfactory fruit. Baumard notes that ‘the whole vineyard can change in a couple of days’.

The team uses small baskets, as though they were harvesting peaches, to collect the grape bunches, because ‘the grapes, like peaches, need to be pristine for the terroir to show,’ says Baumard. Between picking and pressing, the grapes are left in a cold room to avoid oxidation.

Baumard emphasises that gentle pressing is essential, otherwise the inherent quality of the fruit is lost, and along with it the unique sense of place. Since they press with low pressure, each run can last six to 12 hours.

They will then often collect six to eight different portions, or cuts, of juice from the same press run. The first cut is set apart because it is ‘dirty’, containing skins and water. Baumard explains how since the acidity and sugar levels vary in subsequent cuts, they ferment them separately because the yeast won’t work the same way in each batch. The cuts are blended only after fermentation is complete.

Baumard says that they ‘are not looking for super extraction or super richness, just the purest juice’. He says that if they make a mistake in the picking or the pressing, there’s no way to correct it.

Fermentation is slow, occurring at low temperature to preserve fruitiness and freshness. The wines then spend nine to 18 months on the lees in stainless steel vats. Oak barrels, which would alter the harmony of the flavours, are never used.

Starting with the 2003 vintage, Domaine des Baumard has bottled its wines under screwcaps. A vocal proponent of the closure, Baumard says: ‘I was so stupid. I should have used them 20 years earlier.’

Perfect food and wine pairing companions

As though the plethora of flavours and sensations that come with the yin-yang of sweetness and acidity is not sufficient, versatility is another major attribute of Quarts de Chaume.

Young vintages display floral and delicate honeysuckle sweetness, making them a good choice as standalone aperitifs. And while their sheer vibrancy is refreshing, the faint allure of sweetness is neither heavy nor overpowering. Thus, they brilliantly balance the brininess of olives or the saltiness of nuts. For the same reasons, a young Quarts de Chaume is an ideal foil to starters, such as smoked salmon or savoury patés.

While broad generalisations about sweet wines pairing well with Chinese and Indian food are true to an extent, they are overly simplistic. How could the same wine pair with both Sichuan and Cantonese dishes?

The charms and subtleties of most wines, including Quarts de Chaume, will be overwhelmed by very hot food, such as Hunan cuisine or a fiery Indian curry, so I’d stick to beer on those occasions. However, the vibrancy and gentle sweetness of youthful Quarts de Chaume is a superb way to offset and balance the gentler spice found in many Asian and Latin American dishes. They also work extremely well with the parade of flavours inherent in a sushi dish or an omakase meal.

With increasing age, Quarts de Chaume morphs from delicately honeyed to a richer amalgam of apricot skin and orange-like citrus flavours. Finally, with more bottle age still, they even acquire lush caramel nuances.

At the more mature stages, Quarts de Chaume maintains an enlivening and uplifting acidity, which makes them an excellent choice with both hot and cold foie gras. It’s a perfect Christmas splurge.

More practically, aged Quarts de Chaume is a superb choice with cheese, especially blue or other strongly flavoured varieties. After all, what better pairing could there be than Quarts de Chaume and Colston Bassett Stilton? That said, you might be surprised at how engaging these lovely wines are, especially the younger versions, with fresh or creamy goat’s cheese, or the nuttiness of well-aged Comté.

Although some favour sweet wines with dessert, I find that the sweetness in the dessert can fight and frequently overwhelm the wine. Far better, in my opinion, is a glass of Quarts de Chaume all by itself, as a dessert in its own right.

Looking to the future

Baumard notes that climate change has been beneficial for Quarts de Chaume, because it has aided maturation of the grapes. He recounts that in the 1970s, his father harvested in mid-October, and even by then the grapes often were not ripe, necessitating chaptalisation. But since 1987, with warming growing seasons, Baumard has not needed to chaptalise, even though harvest is earlier.

Growers are increasingly requesting permission from the INAO to make dry wines from the appellation, because the market for Quarts de Chaume and sweet wine in general, sadly, has been shrinking. As Baumard notes: ‘Everyone knows about Sauternes, few about Quarts de Chaume.’

In 1996, the INAO required growers in both Quarts de Chaume and nearby Savennières to choose whether to make dry or sweet wines from Chenin Blanc. Quarts de Chaume chose sweet. ‘A historic mistake,’ according to Ivan Massonnat, co-director of the Quarts de Chaume growers’ association, which they are now trying to correct – Savennières resisted and finally the INAO relented and granted its producers permission to make both.

Currently, the dry wines from Quarts de Chaume can be sold only as Anjou Blanc. To distinguish them, many producers are labelling them under the umbrella term, Ronceray, after the abbey, or writing Dry Chenin Blanc prominently on the label. In my limited experience – I tasted about a half-dozen Ronceray, mostly from the 2020 vintage, last year – they are a most welcome addition, showing great minerality and verve.

The best wines from Quarts de Chaume, especially those from Baumard, have a lightness and grace that distinguishes them from the heavier wines of Sauternes. With its delicacy, Quarts de Chaume is more akin to German late-harvest sweet wines.

Quarts de Chaume can stay fresh and invigorating for at least a week or two after opening, though the odds any will be left in the bottle even after a week are small.

These wines develop magnificently in bottle, reaching a plateau and remaining there for decades, making them a good choice for laying down a few bottles for the future.

Tasting notes and scores for Domaine des Baumard’s Quarts de Chaume

Wines are listed in score order

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Bretaudeau is renowned as a driving force behind Muscadet’s revival thanks to his pioneering work with the once maligned grape, Melon de Bourgogne.

He settled in Gétigné, a commune in the westernmost appellation of the Loire Valley , after purchasing a small 4ha plot back in 2001.

Co-ops focused on cheap, industrial production of Muscadet dominated the region, but Bretaudeau took a different tack with his estate, named Domaine de Bellevue.

He has focused on organic and biodynamic production, and he forged a modern path for Muscadet via creative winemaking and bold experimentation.

The estate has gradually expanded over the years, and it now cultivates 20ha of red and white grapes. Domaine de Bellevue does not buy any grapes from third-party growers.

Alongside Melon de Bourgogne, Bretaudeau also grows Savagnin, Chardonnay , Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir .

This has resulted in some eccentric cuvées, many of which defy classification, lining up alongside the estate’s signature old vine Muscadets.

His creations are sold at Michelin-star restaurants, high-end wine merchants and luxury hotels across France and around the world.

‘I am delighted to be embarking on this new chapter for the estate with Maison Billecart-Salmon,’ said Bretaudeau. ‘It will be a great support in ensuring the long-term success of our business and that of our teams. Together, we shall reach new heights to craft ever more exceptional wines.’

Mathieu Roland-Billecart, the CEO and seventh-generation family member at Champagne Billecart-Salmon, met Bretaudeau in 2018.

Bretaudeau has spent the past five years advising Champagne Billecart-Salmon on its biodynamic viticultural work.

The family-owned Champagne house, which is renowned for its flagship Champagne Brut Rosé, aims to increase the distribution of Bretaudeau’s wines in France and overseas.

‘The house is very pleased to be able to join forces with the highly talented winemaker Jérôme Bretaudeau,’ said Roland-Billecart. ‘We are firmly convinced that the terroirs of Muscadet and the western part of the Loire region have yet to achieve the full reputation they rightfully deserve, and we are determined to support him in his future projects.’

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In many parts of the Loire Valley , producers attest to a complicated 2023 vintage. While many producers began picking at the beginning of September, the harvest will continue into October.

It has been especially difficult in Anjou, and far from easy in Saumur and Touraine . However, it has been considerably less difficult in Sancerre , Pouilly and the Upper Loire.

It is challenging to succinctly sum up a vintage such as 2023, as it is very variable depending on the grape variety and the sector. For instance, there has been a good harvest in Azay-le-Rideau, but a more complicated one in nearby Chinon, despite their proximity. Even within the same parcel of vines there can be considerable differences.

The growing season

Overall, 2023 is a potentially very large vintage but likely to be of variable quality – a year when producers have faced challenges during the growing season.

Fortunately there was no serious frost this year. Bud break brought a large volume of potential grapes, and this was confirmed by a rapid flowering in dry and sunny conditions at the end of May and the first part of June. Later on in June is when the strong mildew pressure started, so it was essential to spray against it regularly and at exactly the right moment.

The most successful parts of the Loire this year are at the two extremes – the Pays Nantais (which encompasses the Muscadet appellations) in the west, and the Central and Upper Loire (which takes in Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and some of the lesser known appellations such as the Côte Roannaise) to the east.

Exploring Les Monts Damnés: the unofficial ‘cru’ of Sancerre

Pays Nantais

Because the Melon de Bourgogne variety is early ripening, Muscadet producers were able to pick during the heatwave at the beginning of September before the heavy rains started midway through the month.

Vincent Lieubeau, winemaker at Famille Lieubeau in the Pays Nantais, said: ‘We started harvesting on 4 September during the hot weather. Our Muscadet is very good and concentrated, as the potential alcohol rose by nearly two degrees in just one week due to the heat. The yield is around 50hl/ha with 11.8% alcohol’.

Central and Upper Loire

In the Central Loire, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé it was very dry during late July and August, so producers welcomed the September rains that brought their grapes to maturity and swelled them. There was, however, a violent storm on 17 September which brought down trees in a campsite in Saint-Satur, meaning many of the picking staff had to find new accommodation – an additional pressure on producers.

Vincent Grall, of his eponymous domaine in Sancerre, said: ‘Picking started on 8 September, but it is difficult to find pickers. Our Sauvignon is around 12.5% ​​potential alcohol.’

Benoit Fouassier, of Domaine Fouassier in Sancerre, said: ‘We started picking on 13 September. The Pinot Noir is fully ripe at between 14%-15.5% alcohol and our Sauvignon between 13%-14%.’

In the Upper Loire, Romain Paire, of Domaine des Pothiers in the Côte Roannaise, said: ‘We started picking on Tuesday 12 September. Rain on that Thursday swelled the grapes, giving us fully ripe fruit.’

In Saint-Pourçain, Domaine des Bérioles, Clos de Breuilly and Domaine Grosbot-Barbara have all had successful harvests. In addition, 2023 is the first vintage from the remarkable, steep, south-facing slopes of Mont Georges within the Saint-Pourçain appellation. The project to reclaim these vineyards, which were abandoned 60 years ago, has taken over 20 years to come to fruition, with the first parcel of Gamay and Pinot Noir planted in 2020.

It is noticeable that there is much less mildew damage here.

Anjou-Saumur and Touraine

The picture is different and more variable further west in Anjou-Saumur and Touraine.

‘2023 is like a vintage of 20-30 years ago, when very careful selection of grapes was essential,’ said Jean-Philippe Blot, of Domaine de la Taille aux Loups in Montlouis.

Antoine Daviau, of Domaine de Bablut in Anjou, describes it as ‘a year of extremes!’

‘We went from a lack of water in the early part of the season to an excess of rain. From 1 July to 28 September we had 220mm of rain,’ he said.

In Chinon, Jérôme Billard, winemaker at Domaine de la Noblaie, reported 172mm of rain between 1 August and 26 September, with 80mm falling between 11 and 26 September – a huge amount, considering 172mm is about a third of the average annual rainfall.

It is easy to see who was successful at containing the mildew and who wasn’t. There are parcels where there are virtually no leaves left, making it very difficult for the grapes to ripen properly.

Success was only achieved through spraying frequently. Daviau sprayed 11 times, as did Vanessa Cherruau of Château de Plaisance in Chaume. Billard sprayed 14 times including four times during the 21 June – the most difficult week, while Lieubeau reported spraying 15 times. ‘Because of the regular rains we also had a busy job keeping the grass and other vegetation under control. By August we were exhausted!’ he said.

Ivan Massonnat of Domaine Belargus in Anjou and Domaine de Beauséjour in Chinon, said: ‘We succeeded in controlling the mildew except for the Coteau des Treilles, which overlooks the river Layon, because our caterpillar tractor broke down at a critical time, so the vines have lost almost all of their leaves.’

In addition to mildew, levels of rot in Touraine and Anjou were high, especially for Chenin Blanc . Cabernet Franc is variable but had less rot.

Most worrying is the incidence of acid rot, also called sour rot, which can turn wine into vinegar. Pickers had to carefully examine bunches and cut out acid rotten grapes, easily recognized as it turns white grapes orange. Unfortunately the affected grapes may well be hidden inside the bunch and not visible unless the bunch is cut open. Naturally this presents a challenge for those that pick by machine. Jean-Hubert Lebreton of Domaine des Rochelles in Anjou said: ‘We cut off all the rotten grapes by hand before using our picking machine.’

The levels of alcohol are generally considerably lower here than recent vintages such as 2018, 2019 and 2020. The average to date is between 12% and 13.5%. Adrien Moreau, of Domaine Belargus, said: ‘We are around 12.5%, which since we use native yeasts will rise to around 13% by the end of fermentation.’

Due to the large volume of the harvest and the weather conditions, there are reports that some producers in Anjou are currently struggling to get their grapes above 9% or 10% alcohol.

The news is much more positive for Sauvignon Blanc and the reds – Gamay , Cabernet Franc and Côt ( Malbec ) in the Cher Valley in the Touraine appellation, where the grapes are both plentiful and healthy.

There will be little sweet wine made this year partly due to the conditions and the lack of consumer demand, although there may be exceptions from healthy parcels. The 2023 vintage will continue well into October.

Despite the difficulties, the grape juice and fermenting wines I tasted throughout the Loire were all clean with no off flavors – a testament to a very rigorous selection of grapes by some of the Loire’s best producers. However, overall it is very likely that there will be big variations in the quality of the finished wines.

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Rolling hills in Burgundy; the sun-baked slopes of Provence; the grand estates of Bordeaux – they all evoke a clear holiday picture. In comparison, lesser-known Touraine is trickier to pin down in the mind’s eye. It takes a real-life visit to this underrated appellation in the Middle Loire to realize the abundance of its appeal. But in truth, the ‘Garden of France’ has everything you could want in a Gallic getaway.

There’s the endless series of opulent châteaux, filled with treasures and flanked with formal gardens clipped by box hedges. A handsome regional capital, Tours, with half-timbered architecture and Joan of Arc history. Sleepy little villages with cafes turning out salads topped with sharp local goat’s cheese; lush, trail-lined Loches forest. And, of course, rippling through all of it, the mighty Loire river, the region’s lifeline. Once a key trading route, for you it equals leisurely evening cruises, afternoon kayak sessions or scenic waterside cycling routes.

And, of course, there is the wine. Despite a surface area of ​​just 5,500ha – stretching roughly 100km from around Blois in the east to Bourgueil in the west – the Touraine appellation claims vast stylistic diversity. There are lively sparklings and luscious sweet whites; juicy rosés and generous reds. Celebrated names such as Chinon and Vouvray sit alongside little-known ones such as Montlouis-sur-Loire (Vouvray’s reflection just across on the south side of the Loire river).

Most producers are small, often working across multiple styles and sub-regions. Humble tasting rooms ooze familial warmth, with many set atop cellars – resulting from tuffeau limestone being harvested to build the region’s magnificent châteaux. Flinty clay (perruches), sand and gravel soils realize Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc – the Loire poster grapes, white and red – in the full spectrum of their diversity. Rarer Romorantin, Arbois and Pineau d’Aunis join the mix, too, alongside the likes of Sauvignon Blanc , Grolleau Noir and Côt ( Malbec ). Whichever cellar door you end up at, one thing Touraine tastings are not boring.

Each day holds a new adventure, always backlit by resplendent architecture. Begin in gateway city Tours, in the heart of the region, about a 90-minute direct train ride from Paris, Gare Montparnasse. Here, a magnificent cathedral is testament to the city’s medieval grandeur, while creating buildings once hosted the likes of Joan of Arc. Visit the photogenic old centre, then pop into little wine bars pouring bargain tipples (sometimes £3 a glass) to get a vinous overview of the region. Pork rillettes or piquant local goat’s cheeses such as ashy Ste-Maure de Touraine provide the perfect stomach lining.

My perfect weekend in Tours & Touraine

Friday

Kick off with a history lesson in gateway city Tours, taking in the cathedral on Rue Lavoisier and the half-timbered architecture on Place Plumereau. Then strike out to pretty riverside Amboise – 30 minutes east – home to a must-see château and cute restaurants. Get an overview of Touraine wines on Place Michel Debré with tastings at La Cave on Place Michel Debré and riverside cellars Caves Ambacia on Rue du Rocher des Violettes. The latter sells Vouvray demi-sec vintages back to 1874 and 1990s Bourgueil in magnum, with lunches of house-aged goat’s cheese and charcuterie. Afterwards, take a boat ride on the Loire or sample the Loire à Vélo* cycling route to nearby Chaumont-sur-Loire. See the art-filled château and gardens then stay over in Le Bois des Chambres*.

Saturday

Today it’s all about Cabernet Franc: Chinon and Bourgueil. Start in the former, hitting esteemed Bernard Baudry , then Domaine Pierre et Bertrand Couly for a Segway tour through the vines. Have lunch in pretty Chinon by the square at Au Chapeau Rouge*, then burn it off walking around the Royal Fortress of Chinon ruins. Make the half-hour drive to Bourgueil to visit the stunning cellars of biodynamic Domaine de la Chevalerie , run by young siblings, then stop off at the epic gardens of Château de Villandry * on your way back towards Tours for the night. Check into Ferdinand Hotel* and hit a local wine bar for dinner.

Sunday

Make your way southeast to Château de Nitray for a lively range of Touraine wines made from Côt, Grolleau and Sauvignon. If they’re serving up steaks for lunch in their on-site restaurant (call ahead to check), have lunch here, then head onto Château de Valmer , where more sublime landscaped gardens and an underground chapel come with award-winning Vouvray. Finally, check into Loire Valley Lodges  mid-afternoon to make the most of its lovely pool, vegetable gardens and cute hens. Have dinner in the restaurant before bedding down in one of the photogenic luxury treehouses, decorated by international artists.

For details of entries marked with an asterisk (*), see below

An abundance to savour

Then strike out. Barely outside the city walls to the east, sub-region Vouvray produces one of Touraine’s best-loved wines from Chenin Blanc on a plateau hugging the Loire river. At acclaimed Domaine Huet , a local standard-bearer since 1928, you can see all Chenin is capable of, from sparkling to still, sec to moelleux (gently sweet). Just a minute down the road, the 20ha Le Clos de L’Epinay is family-owned and friendly. Meanwhile, 10 minutes northeast of Le Clos, at Château de Valmer the formal gardens are as appealing as the award-winning brut sparkling and sec. Winemaker-owner Jean de Saint Venant also makes a solid AP Touraine rosé sparkling from 100% Grolleau, and it costs just £8 a bottle.

On the other end of the spectrum, about 50km southwest of Tours, lies Chinon – heartland of Cabernet Franc. The UNESCO-listed central village on Loire tributary the Vienne is picturesque; crowned by a crumbling medieval royal fortress and cluttered with bistros for epic weekend lunches. The fabled red wines from the surrounding vineyards are equally impressive. Tick ​​off Bernard Baudry , which produces organic wines from old vines rooted in a wide range of soil types; try concentrated Les Grézeaux from a 50-year-old plot. Respected domaine Charles Joguet ,one of the region’s pioneers in single-vineyard bottlings, is another must. It produces nearly a dozen different cuvées, from fruity Les Petites Roches to powerful Clos de la Dioterie. Afterwards, nip to nearby AP Bourgueil. The region’s Cabernet Francs don’t yet have the same following as Chinon’s, but there are real treasures to be found. Domaine de la Chevalerie ages biodynamically grown wine in its cellars, including the lively, leathery Bretêche wrought from calcareous clay soils.

How to get there

A fast train into Tours takes about 90 minutes from Paris, accessible from the UK via Eurostar . To explore you need a car; it takes about 45 minutes to drive from central Tours to the region’s furthest reaches east or west.

So many options

Vouvray and Chinon may be the headliners, but in between there’s much more in Touraine to keep your taste buds entertained. In Touraine Amboise, try everything from Cabernet Sauvignon to Arbois. Touraine Mesland, meanwhile, serves up Côt and lighter-bodied Gamay . The more time you take to explore, the more delicious discoveries you will make.

In between tastings, you won’t be short of things to do – arguably much more than in most wine regions. Cycle a stretch of the 900km Loire à Vélo cycling route (see box below), zipping through forest, vineyards or along riverbanks (electric bikes are available to hire in many towns). Hop on a traditional wooden merchant boat for a slow slink down the river at sunset. Or tour the many châteaux, from UNESCO-listed Amboise  – final resting place of Leonardo da Vinci – to contemporary art-stuffed Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire , which also has exceptional gardens.

And at the end of a long day exploring, you can check into a lovely hotel; there are increasing numbers of stylish options both in Touraine itself and just outside its borders. The past couple of years alone have seen the launch of a sister hotel to Bordeaux’s Les Sources de Caudalie, Les Sources de Cheverny , and Fleur de Loire  in Blois, both of which have attracted a cool new high-end clientele. And that means one thing: just like Burgundy, Provence and Bordeaux, it’s only a matter of time until this underrated pocket of the Loire valley is truly discovered.

Your Tours & Touraine address book

accommodation

Château de Pray , Charge

If it has to be a château stay, this Renaissance pile, near Amboise on the south bank of the Loire river, comes with 5ha of wooded parkland, a one-star Michelin restaurant, heated pool and dripping rooms in Toile de Jouy.

Ferdinand Hotel, Tours

This 14-room stay in the heart of the shopping district is one of Tours’ more chic places to stay. Cozy rooms come dressed in loud wallpapers and minimalist furniture.

Le Bois des Chambres , Chaumont-sur-Loire

In the east of the region, this recent launch on the grounds of historic Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire shows that wine region accommodation isn’t all stuffy old beamed ceilings. Barns have been converted into sleek, pastel-hued eco-friendly rooms with views out to a central courtyard garden.

Food & drinks

Ardent , Esvres 

Chef Gaëtan Evrard’s restaurant at chic hotel Loire Valley Lodges shows off the contemporary side to Touraine cookery, with a menu built around produce from the hotel’s veg garden. Dinner has the wow-factor but lunch offers what may be your best-ever croque monsieur: thick farmhouse bread with mushrooms, ham and Mornay sauce with aged Comté.

Au Chapeau Rouge , Chinon

It doesn’t get more Gallic than this red awning-fronted bistro on Chinon’s main square, in the shadow of the UNESCO town’s historic fortress. Lazy, wine-soaked lunches – think gilt-head bream with white butter and Touraine saffron – spill out onto the cobbled street.

Tutu , Tours

You’ll get a wine tour around Touraine at this forward-thinking, funky wine bar in Tours. Glasses start at €3.50 (£3.00) and pours range from a 1996 Montlouis sur Loire by Clos Habert to a 2017 orange wine from Laurent Lebled. After oysters and charcuterie, order local favorite tarte vigneronne (apple tart with wine jam).

Things to do

Château de Villandry , Villandry

If the Loire valley is famous for châteaux and gardens, this pile – once home to Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother – shows off the best of both. Visit the elaborate rooms, then explore the vast formal gardens with more than 50km of box plant hedging and 1,000 lime trees.

Loire à Velo

This 900km cycling route follows the mighty Loire river, cutting through vineyards, forest and farmland. Several local operators rent electric bikes; do a multi-day stretch from Amboise to Chinon via Tours, or just a lazy afternoon, stopping off at wineries as you go.

Saint-Gatien Cathedral, Tours

Ornate archways, intricate stained glass, flamboyant flying buttresses – Tours’ top architectural masterpiece is the Loire’s answer to Notre-Dame. It looks even better at night, when golden lighting makes the stone facade details really pop. Rue Lavoisier/Rue Fleury

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Jim Budd, Natalie Earl and Ben Llewelyn tasted 72 wines with 7 Outstanding and 31 Highly recommended.

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé: Panel tasting scores

72 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 7

Highly recommended 31

Recommended 30

Commended 3

Fair 1

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest-release Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé white wines, available in the UK with retail pricing at £19.99 or above.

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are among the best-known – and most exported – Loire appellations, so it was interesting to see how wines costing £19.99 or above from the two appellations would show. Ben Llewelyn set the scene: ‘Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé have long been bastions of great, terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc,’ he said. ‘Their respective sides of the Loire river remain meccas for wine lovers, tourists and gastronomes from around the world. As a result the names have almost become brands, which sadly have not always quite lived up to the hype.’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé panel tasting

We tasted 72 wines: 49 from Sancerre and 23 from Pouilly-Fumé. There were 14 wines from the 2022 vintage, 41 from 2021, 12 from 2020, three from 2019 and one each from the 2018 and 2017 vintages. Wines from the sunny, early 2022 and 2020 vintages often showing opulent fruit were a considerable contrast to the later and cooler 2021 vintage with some zesty wines – 2021 was one of the rare years when Sancerre was badly hit by spring frosts.

Llewelyn said: ‘2021 provided a racier style of wine with lower alcohol but taut, more electric fruit with great energy. Where this was combined with concentration it proved a magic combination, and perhaps points to more selection of vineyard sites as a way of achieving this in future.’ Unfortunately, there were also some unripe, over-acidic wines.

With 10 of the 14 top-scoring wines, the results showed that Sancerre is the more exciting appellation. Natalie Earl commented: ‘There seemed to be a lack of inspiration in the Pouilly-Fumé selection, with the most interesting ones either having some bottle age, or with noticeable youthful concentration.’ Over the years I have generally found Sancerre to be the more exciting appellation, especially when young. Overall, the most successful Pouilly-Fumés here did tend to have some bottle age. It is often said that they need more time than Sancerre to show their best.

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé: the facts

Sancerre

• Planted area: 3,025ha
• Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc 82%, Pinot Noir 18%
• Producers: 285 vignerons
• Production (2022): 187,643hl
• Soil types: Limestone, clay-limestone and flint
• Environmental: 33% of planted area certified organic or biodynamic or in conversion
• Export: 67% to 142 countries
• Top export markets: US (38.8%), UK (18.1%), Belgium (5.7%)

Pouilly-Fumé

• Planted area: 1,390ha
• Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc
• Producers: 135 vignerons
• Production (2022): 85,996hl
• Soil types: Flint, limestone, Kimmeridgian marl and sand
• Environmental: 24% of planted area certified organic or biodynamic or in conversion
• Export: 51% to 129 countries
• Top export markets: UK (25%), Belgium (20.7%), US (12.8%)

Source: Vins du Centre-Loire, 2022 

Roughly half the wines had seen at least some oak – a mix of barrels and larger wooden vats is becoming increasingly common. None of the 2022s had seen any oak, so for those that had, the greater maturation time in bottle meant the oak was generally well integrated.

Given the retail price level of these wines, we all commented that the 2022s would have had but a short time on their lees and that many would have benefited from being bottled later. It is significant that two of our top wines spent two years maturing before bottling. However, due to the reduced volumes in 2021, there may well have been a commercial need to bottle some of 2022 early.

See all the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines from the panel tasting

There were many exciting, well-balanced wines here, particularly from Sancerre. Wines to be enjoyed young but also with a potential to age and gain further complexity, as the five older wines indicated. The best wines from these two appellations can give pleasure at 20-30 years or more.

Earl concluded: ‘Considering the elevated price points, the wines that had spent some time in oak, or with extended élevage, seem to offer the best price to complexity ratio.’

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé panel tasting scores

The judges

Jim Budd has written for Decanter since 1989, specialising in the wines of the Loire, and is the DWWA Regional Chair for the Loire. Budd writes jimsloire.blogspot.com (now occasionally), is one of the five members of the Les 5 du Vin blog, and is also a photographer and a translator from French to English for producers in France.

Natalie Earl is Decanter’s Regional Editor for France other than Bordeaux and Burgundy, and is a keen advocate for organic, sustainable and natural wines.

Ben Llewelyn is managing director of wine importer Carte Blanche Wines, which specialises in terroir-driven, low-intervention wines from France and Spain.

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Throughout the Loire, heat and drought during the summer months were a defining feature of the 2022 growing season. Thankfully, rain that fell in August was a welcome relief, allowing healthy grapes to ripen fully while preserving freshness.

As with the whites, quantities of the reds are variable depending on the extent of April frost damage to certain pockets, as well as soil type, age of the vines, and tendency of producers to rely on chemical herbicides. This is a very good quality vintage across the board, with the potential to be one the greats.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Jim Budd’s top 30 Loire reds of 2022 and 2021

Top red producers of 2022 and 2021

Château de Villeneuve – Saumur-Champigny

Domaine de la Butte – Bourgueil

Domaine de la Noblaie – Chinon

Domaine Yannick Amirault – St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

Vincent Pinard – Sancerre

Anjou-Saumur

Drought and extreme summer heat were the dominant factors here, as with most other areas, as Jean-Pierre Chevallier, of Château de Villeneuve, recounts: ‘2022 was a particularly hot year where the lack of water did not spare us, having an impact on our yields. The long-awaited arrival of the rain in August was invaluable in obtaining good quality grapes, giving us everything we needed to make great wine.’

Touraine

Early April frosts did not generally have severe consequences apart from in the western part of Touraine, around Chinon, where bud-break was further advanced than in the east.

Getting the picking date right was very important as alcohol levels rose rapidly and grapes could soon become over-ripe. This is confirmed by Yannick Amirault, who makes wine in Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil: ‘The 2022 vintage brought new records for precocity with our Cabernet Franc, but also for drought. The year was marked by several forest fires. Fortunately the grapes did not suffer from these extreme conditions, but the timing of grape maturity was very precise.’

The early bottled reds are already attractive to drink, while the more ambitious wines won’t be released until later this year or into next but are concentrated with a fine potential to age.

Good examples of early bottled 2022s include Le Temps des Cerises Chinon from Domaine de la Noblaie, Domaine des 7 Lieues Moncartier from Cellier du Beaujardin, Cote 50 Bourgueil from Domaine Yannick Amirault and the Cabernet Franc Anjou from Domaine Cady.

Centre & Upper Loire

Despite a mild winter, there were two early April frosts, with temperatures as low as -6C, which would have had devastating effects had bud-break started properly by then.

The Pinot Noirs should be delicious to drink young, with the more ambitious wines needing time in bottle, with a great potential to age well.

The quality of the 2022 vintage extends to the Upper Loire, as Ambroise Demonceaux from Clos de Breuilly in Saint-Pourçain explains: ‘The 2022 vintage will be exceptional for us both in terms of volume and quality. We have not been affected by frost or hail and after a fairly dry summer we got 50mm of rain three weeks before harvest which, along with the healthy soils and fairly old vines (20-70 years), helped bring grapes to perfect maturity.’ The 2022 Eclat de Granite, Côte Roannaise from Domaine Sérol confirms Demonceaux’s optimism.

Top value reds of 2022 and 2021

Cellier du Beaujardin, Domaine des 7 Lieues Moncartier, Touraine 2022

Domaine Cady, Cabernet Franc, Anjou 2022

Domaine de la Noblaie, Le Temps des Cerises, Chinon 2022

Domaine des Forges, Anjou 2022

Jean-François Mérieau, Le Bois Jacou, Touraine 2022

Loire red wines: know your vintages

Since 2014 the Loire has been blessed with an unprecedented series of good to great vintages.

2018

Hailed as a great vintage, which generally combined quality and quantity, although the alcohols on some reds are high. 5/5.

2019

This is another good-quality vintage, although frost-affected, with attractive reds that are drinking well now but with the potential to age. 4/5.

2020

Another hot vintage with many good, concentrated reds but some that lack freshness and high alcohols due to the grapes being picked too late. 5/5.

2021

A cold spring with severe early April frosts led to a return to a more traditional Loire vintage with picking starting considerably later than many of the recent vintages, with more marked acidity in the wines. The reds are more tricky than the whites. There are some real successes here, for example Domaine de la Butte (Bourgueil), Château de Villeneuve (Saumur-Champigny) and Vincent Pinard (Sancerre). Others lack fruit concentration combined with high levels of acidity. 4/5.

2022

This is a very good vintage, possibly one of the best, but more time is needed to judge. The early bottled reds are very promising and the more ambitious cuvées should be too, although they won’t be bottled for a while. 5/5.

Jim Budd’s top Loire reds from 2022 and 2021:

Related articles

• Loire 2021 white wines: vintage report and new releases
• Loire 2021 red wines: vintage report and new releases

Overall the 2022 growing season in the Loire was marked by some periods of extreme heat and drought during the summer, but rain in August made a big difference and grapes were generally very healthy.

Quantities vary considerably depending on April frost damage and whether the later drought spells blocked grape maturity, which would have been dependent on soil type, the age of the vines and producers who encourage their vines to develop deep roots by avoiding the use of chemical herbicides.

‘2022 is a very good quality vintage across the board. Some are hailing it as one of the great years – time will tell.’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Jim Budd’s top 30 Loire whites of 2022 and 2021

Top white producers of 2022 and 2021:

Domaine de la Taille aux Loups – Montlouis and Vin de France (Vouvray)

Domaine Luneau-Papin – Muscadet Sèvre et Maine

Domaine Merlin-Cherrier – Sancerre

Domaine Ogereau – Anjou

Vincent Pinard – Sancerre

Pays Nantais

There were early April frosts here, as François Lieubeau, of Famille Lieubeau, explains: ‘Four nights of frost from 31 March to 4 April, with temperatures below -3.5C, once again kept us on our toes.’ Fortunately, there was much less damage than in the previous year – in part because bud-break was in its early stages and because it was dry, so there was less humidity to form ice around the fragile buds. Frost protection systems are also increasingly effective, and investment in wind machines has increased markedly since 2016.

The summer was very dry with rainfall down by 30% on the 10 year average. However, fortunately rain finally arrived in mid-August just before the harvest and in time to make a difference. The Ban de Vendanges was given for 23 August, which is very early.

Lieubeau sums up: ‘With ideal natural alcohol levels (a final average of 12%) and grapes in impeccable health, 2022 will go down as a solar year with outstanding quality and beautiful balance.’

Due to the drought, yields were not sufficient to replenish stocks after the very short, frost-affected 2021 vintage.

Anjou-Saumur

As with elsewhere in the Loire, drought and extreme summer heat were the dominant factors in the Anjou-Saumur area, as Ivan Massonnat, of Domaine Belargus, recounts: ‘From the month of May rain was rare. It was so dry that there was a major fire on the north side of the Layon on 9 August. The miracle of 2022 was the very welcome return of some rain on 15 August – just in time to make a significant difference.’

The rain allowed producers to make very good dry whites. Further small quantities of rain in October provoked the development of botrytis, enabling the production of fine sweet wines, too.

Touraine

Fortunately, although there were some very early April frosts they didn’t have serious consequences overall. That being said, western Touraine was affected, for example in parts of Chinon, as bud-break was further advanced than in eastern Touraine where the nascent buds still had their protective cover.

As with elsewhere, the picking started early: in August for some varieties and wine styles, especially Chardonnay for sparkling wines. Vouvray was able to make all styles from sparkling through to sweet.

I tasted some very attractive Sauvignon Blanc, for example, from Clos Roussely, Domaine Beauséjour and Domaine Mérieau.

Centre & Upper Loire

The winter was mild with above average temperatures in the Centre and Upper Loire area. In early April there were two periods of frost, which could have had severe consequences as during the night of 3 April temperatures fell as low as -6C. Fortunately, bud-break hadn’t properly started and there was very little humidity. Flowering was very early, starting at the end of May.

Picking started in Menetou-Salon and Reuilly on 25 August and between 5-10 September for the rest of the central vineyard appellations.

The Sauvignon Blancs are concentrated with ripe fruit notes – grapefruit, pineapple and stone fruits – and despite the heat of the summer the wines have enough acidity, although naturally less marked than the 2021 vintage.

There are some very good 2022 Sauvignon Blancs. At this stage the overall quality of Sancerre is more regular than Pouilly-Fumé. However, in both appellations there are some prestige cuvées that would have benefitted from more time on their lees but there may have been pressure to bottle given the small 2021 vintage.

See all 51 of Jim Budd’s recommended Loire whites from 2022 and 2021

Top value whites of 2021 and 2021:

Cellier du Beaujardin, Salamandre, Touraine 2022

Domaine Beauséjour, Les Silex, Touraine 2022

Domaine de la Tourmaline, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2022

Domaine de Villargeau, Coteaux du Giennois 2022

Domaine des Forges, Vignoble Branchereau, Coteaux du Layon, Chaume 1er Cru 2021

Loire white wines: know your vintages

Since 2014, the Loire has been blessed with an unprecedented series of good to great vintages.

2018

Hailed as a great vintage, which generally combined quality and quantity, although the alcohols on some whites are very high. 5/5.

2019

This is another good-quality vintage, although frost-affected, with attractive wines that are drinking well now with more freshness than 2018 but with the potential to age well. 4/5.

2020

Another hot vintage with many good, concentrated wines but also some that lack freshness and zip. 4/5.

2021

A cold spring with severe early April frosts led to a return to a more traditional Loire vintage, with picking starting considerably later than many of the recent vintages and more marked acidity in the wines. Despite some early doubts there are some lovely whites, though quality is variable and volume severely down. This is a vintage that reveals the quality of the producer. 4/5.

2022

This is a very good vintage, possibly one of the best, but more time is needed to judge. Overall it is a success for both Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc with well-balanced wines having both concentration and freshness, although there are a few flabby wines lacking acidity. 5/5.

Jim Budd’s top Loire whites from 2022 and 2021:

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• Loire 2021 white wines: vintage report and new releases
• Loire 2021 red wines: vintage report and new releases

Jacky Blot, the esteemed Touraine-based winemaker, passed away on Monday (15 May) following a brief illness, according to his family.

Blot spent 10 years as a paratrooper before getting into the wine business. He initially worked as a wine broker before settling in Touraine in the Loire Valley in 1989, when he purchased Domaine de La Taille Aux Loups in Montlouis.

In 2002, Blot expanded his business by acquiring Domaine de La Butte in Bourgueil, allowing him to produce red and white wines under four appellations.

His portfolio ran the gamut from bone dry sparkling wines to decadent sweet wines, and he was widely regarded as one of France’s most talented winemakers.

For the last 10 years, he has overseen 70 hectares in Montlouis, Vouvray and Bourgueil in tandem with his son, Jean-Philippe.

Wine writer Jane Anson described Blot’s famous Triple Zéro, made from 100% Chenin Blanc grapes grown on 50-year-old vines, as ‘one of the world’s great-value sparkling wines’.

His botrytised wines and cuvées, such as Rémus and Romulus, also garnered high praise, and he is the only Touraine winemaker to obtain a five-star review in the Bettane et Desseauve guide.

Domaine de La Taille Aux Loups is just 11km from Vouvray, so the house speciality is Chenin Blanc, but Blot drew great inspiration from Burgundy too.

Many of its wines follow a single-vineyard, terroir-driven approach, with a focus on organic viticulture.

Blot also earned acclaim for producing high-quality Cabernet Franc from Bourgueil, displaying a great deal of versatility as a winemaker.

He and his wife, Joëlle, opened wine cellars across the region, followed by a restaurant named Le Bistrot des Belles Caves in Tours, which is renowned for its remarkable wine list.

Aside from his love of fine wine, he was a man of culture, with a fondness for the opera.

He is survived by Joëlle, his children and several grandchildren, and his legacy will live on through the wines produced by Jean-Philippe and the teams at Domaine de la Taille aux Loups and Domaine de la Butte.

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With a history of eight generations under the Foucault brothers, establishing its reputation as the best producer of Cabernet Franc (not to mention Chenin Blanc) in the Loire, it created a shock wave when Clos Rougeard was sold to the Bouygues family in 2017.

What has changed since then, and what has stayed the same?

Scroll down for the most recent tasting notes for Clos Rougeard wines

Building the future: a new winery under way

The wines of Clos Rougeard used to be made in the cramped cellars under the family house in Chacé, until the brothers found a new site nearby in 2010, with 1km of underground cellars.

Now a new building is being completed, with a rather ornate exterior contrasting with the old quarters. It appears large relative to the domaine, but technical director Jacques-Antoine Toublanc says the capacity of the building matches the vineyard area. ‘We could manage 2ha more,’ he says. ‘Perhaps if they became available in Les Poyeux.’

Construction has been continuing between winemaking seasons, but from 2022, Clos Rougeard wines will be made in a new gravity-fed winery, equipped with 17 new concrete fermenters, holding 60hl-70hl. Each can serve 1ha of picked grapes; 14 tanks are for red, three tanks are for white. Previously the wine was made in 200-hectolitre fermenters.

Emphasis on long ageing and oak use

The reds age for 24 months: Le Clos in used barriques and Les Poyeux in one-year-old barriques, sourced from first growths in Bordeaux. Le Bourg ages in 90% new barriques, from oak sourced in the Loire. Jacques-Antoine believes oak has a crucial influence, and is extremely fussy about the barriques used.

‘The source of the oak, the temperature of toasting, and the duration of toasting are all important,’ he says. His criterion for judging barrel preparation is the smell of the oak as it is being toasted.

All cuvées offer an unmistakable impression of purity, with a smooth generosity to each wine. Le Clos is elegant and pure, Les Poyeux the crystalline essence of Cabernet Franc, and Le Bourg tighter with higher acidity and tannins, needing more time.

A change in direction for the white?

With 20% new oak, the white Le Brézé offers a wonderfully savoury impression of Chenin Blanc, with a steely minerality reminiscent of Puligny-Montrachet when young. As it ages, that minerality turns more austere, so I would enjoy it in the first decade. But there may now be a change coming.

‘In red winemaking, we are following exactly the Foucaults, but for the whites the wine could be a little lactic. The brothers used to pick late. Nady always said you should find everything from citrus to over-ripe in Brézé. Some years it was too heavy for me. I’m not happy to make Burgundy, I want to get the typicity of Chenin, I want freshness. This is the new style, I would say,’ Toublanc says as we taste the 2019, which shows an exceptional sense of tension.

The 2018, from a warmer year, is a halfway house between the new, fresher style and the older, more Burgundian style.

The style of Clos Rougeard, ‘has to be ripe, but it has to have freshness on the palate at the same time,’ says Toublanc.

Elegance over power might well be the motto of the domain. It’s in good hands.

Clos Rougeard’s history and terroir

Copy by Yohan Castaing

Clos Rougeard has always been a truly exceptional estate in the Saumur-Champigny appellation of the Loire.

Whereas most winemakers in Saumur-Champigny often practised a high-yield approach to viticulture, choosing quantity over quality, the Foucault brothers marched to the beat of a very different drum from 1969 to 2015.

Charly and Nady made very distinctive, quality-driven wines of remarkable freshness and silkiness. The brothers practised an ‘haute couture’ type of viticulture and winemaking, based on small yields, native yeasts and long cellar-ageing.

This approach made their 10ha domain, planted with Cabernet Franc except for 1ha of Chenin Blanc, the unquestionable top-tier benchmark for the appellation. Their long-lived wines could easily age up to two decades.

Sadly Charly passed away in December 2015, and Nady sold Clos Rougeard in 2017 to French entrepreneurs, Martin and Olivier Bouygues, who also own Château Montrose in Bordeaux.

The terroir

The vines are planted on a limestone plateau overlooking the Loire. According to Jacques-Antoine Toublanc there is 30cm of topsoil at most, which allows the roots to plunge into the tuffeau, the limestone bedrock typical of Saumur-Champigny.

Of the two main vineyards, Les Poyeux and Le Bourg, the former has the reputation of producing the most accessible wine. It has sandier soils, albeit on a clay-limestone base.

Les Poyeux is located on a 2.5ha parcel, which makes it more than twice the size of the 1ha of vines in Le Bourg. It’s a well-ventilated site that produces healthy grapes resulting in wines that are more fruit-forward and less concentrated.

As for Le Bourg, the grapes are sourced from four tiny plots on limestone soil with some deep clay on which the grapes ripen impeccably. Le Clos is sourced from 14 small plots that comprise a total of 4ha.

As for the 1ha Brezé parcel, its vocation is for white wine thanks to its south-facing site on calcareous limestone, ideal for Chenin Blanc. Clos Rougeard’s Brezé white has become a cult wine, but another rarity is the Côteau de Saumur sweet wine, only produced in exceptional vintages such as 2018. The previously released vintage was 2003.

Tasting notes and scores for Clos Rougeard wines:

Vintages 2017-2019: tasting notes and scores from Benjamin Lewin MW

Vintages 2014-2016: tasting notes and scores from Yohan Castaing

Related content:

Loire Valley Cabernet Franc: panel tasting results

Loire 2021 red wines: vintage report and new releases

10 top-rated Cabernet Francs from around the world worth seeking out

Jim Budd, Ben Llewellyn and Laure Patry tasted 57 wines, with two Outstanding and 18 Highly Recommended.

Loire Valley Cabernet Franc panel tasting scores

57 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 2

Highly recommended 18

Recommended 27

Commended 8

Fair 2

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest-release, dry red wines made from Cabernet Franc (90% minimum) from the Loire Valley, including AP, IGP or Vin de France wines, with availability in the UK

I had high hopes for this tasting, given the unprecedented, unbroken run of good to very good vintages from 2014 to 2020. And there were some very good wines, though there were also some disappointments, even from 2018.

Fellow judge Ben Llewelyn confirmed this outlook: ‘Difficult vintages, especially a series of frosted years, have tested the mettle and patience of growers in the region and it showed in many of the wines. My overall impression of the wines was moderate – but with some shining stars.’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Loire Valley Cabernet Franc wines

The tasting covered vintages from 2021 to 2014, plus one from 2011. There were examples from the Pays Nantais, Anjou, Saumur and Chinon, Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-deBourgueil, but none from eastern Touraine. Awarding two Outstanding and 18 Highly recommended, it was clear that Saumur, especially Saumur-Champigny, showed the most consistent quality, with the best wines.

Laure Patry agreed: ‘There were some great examples, with the strongest being in Saumur and Saumur-Champigny and also some great Chinon.’ Llewelyn said: ‘Saumur had the greatest showing and the wines offered good overall appeal. The denser styles in 2019 worked well, with potential for development at even a more modest level. The 2020s were good, too, but they require the puppy fat to fall away in order to get a full view.’

Our two Outstanding wines were both from Saumur. Château de Villeneuve’s Vieilles Vignes, Saumur-Champigny 2018, from Souzay-Champigny in the northern part of the appellation near the river, was the highest-scoring wine. Since taking charge of the estate in the early 1990s, Jean-Pierre and Florent Chevallier have made Château de Villeneuve one of the world’s great Cabernet Franc-producing properties, whose wines age beautifully for two decades or more.

See notes and scores for all the wines in the Loire Cabernet Franc panel tasting

The Les Nivières, Saumur 2019 – from the very good Robert & Marcel cooperative (part of Alliance Loire) based in St-Cyr-en-Bourg – is great value. This comes from vines around the village of Brossay, which is about 5km southeast of Doué-la-Fontaine. It is available through Waitrose at the bargain price of £9.99.

We were disappointed with Bourgueil, even though we awarded two Highly recommended wines, as there was a bigger variation in marks compared to the wines from Chinon, which we found to be more consistent, with five Highly recommended and a number of Recommended. Patry said: ‘I wish there had been more from St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil [four wines], as they were quite refreshing in 2020 and 2021. I had hoped that more Anjou wines would be entered too, as that’s where the best value wines are in my opinion.’

The lack of entries from Anjou may be due to this tasting’s stipulation of a minimum 90% of Cabernet Franc, since many top Anjou wines include a considerable proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.

Although there were some disappointments, with some wines showing harsh, green tannins that may never soften, there were also a good number of wines that will give pleasure now and into the future.

The top-scoring Loire Valley Cabernet Franc wines:

The wines below all scored 90 points or above

The judges

Jim Budd is an awarded wine writer and photographer. Writing for Decanter since 1989, he is the DWWA Regional Chair for the Loire. He is a founder-member of the Les 5 duVin blog, writes on the dangers of wine investment on investdrinks-blog. blogspot.com, plus his own jimsloire.blogspot.com.

Ben Llewellyn is managing director of wine importer Carte Blanche Wines, and specialises in terroir-driven, low-intervention wines from France and Spain. He has worked in the wine trade for 24 years and currently lives in Wales.

Laure Patry is executive head sommelier at The Social Company, working across its global restaurant group. She previously worked for Gordon Ramsay Holdings, including almost two years at Claridge’s and then six years at Maze.

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• Loire 2021 white wines: vintage report and new releases
• 10 top-rated Cabernet Francs from around the world worth seeking out

Look to the north when visiting a wine producer in the small village of Chavignol in the central Loire, and you will most likely be confronted by the imposing face of Sancerre’s unofficial top cru, the dramatically named Les Monts Damnés (the ‘Hills of the Damned’) – or, to give it its full title, La Côte des Monts Damnés.

Although not the steepest vineyard in the world (that ‘honour’ is usually credited to the 65° slope of the Bremmer Calmont vineyard in the Mosel), the 45° slopes of Les Monts Damnés make viticulture here challenging at best. But the results are outstanding; it is viewed by many as the source of Sancerre’s finest wines.

Scroll down for 14 top Les Montes Damnés wines to try

Unlike the wines of the Médoc and Burgundy, the appellation system for Sancerre is relatively simple, with no officially designated premier cru or grand cru vineyards. It appears there is a reluctance to emphasise individual hamlets or specific ‘lieu-dit’ sites that might divert consumers from the easily identifiable Sancerre brand.

Chavignol and Les Monts Damnés have historically had a strong reputation for wine, while Chavignol itself is also rightly famous for Crottin de Chavignol, its distinctive AP goat’s cheese, which is perfect with a crisp glass of Sancerre.

Like Burgundy’s Chablis, Sancerre is a name widely recognised by white wine drinkers around the world. These two appellations share many similarities yet have significant differences. Both are focused on a single grape variety, are situated at cooler northerly latitudes, and are marked by strong terroir influence driven by geological factors dating back more than 150 million years.

Sancerre and Chablis wines share similar taste profiles, too – crisp, elegant white wines with drive, strong acidity and a flinty, mineral taste. While Chablis is a unique, cooler-climate expression of Chardonnay, white Sancerre must be produced with Sauvignon Blanc. The style of Sauvignon Blanc here (and in neighbouring appellations Pouilly-Fumé and Menetou-Salon) is completely different to the more pungent, passion fruit style often found in New Zealand.

Arnaud Bourgeois, newly appointed co-president of the BIVC (Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Centre-Loire), and managing director of renowned producer Domaine Henri Bourgeois, says: ‘Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderful grape variety because it is an enhancer of terroir.’

Sancerre facts

Appellation created White 1936, Red & Rosé 1959

Vineyard area White 2,393ha, Red 335ha, Rosé 260ha

Average production over past five years White 143,000hL

Source: Loire Valley Wine Bureau 2022

The finest soils

In Sancerre, three distinct categories of soil are found – silex, caillottes and terres blanches. Silex soils, generally found to the east of Sancerre, are derived from siliceous rock with a high proportion of flint, imparting a spicy, smoky taste to many wines. Caillottes soils contain large quantities of small pebbles, and are found where Jurassic-era limestone has long weathered, giving floral, fruit-driven and earlier-drinking wines.

Arguably the finest, most important soils are those of the terres blanches, found to the west of Sancerre, with the sites of Le Cul de Beaujeu and Les Monts Damnés offering the best expressions. These are wines of grand cru quality without the price tag.

The secret is a strong presence of marly Kimmeridgian soil, derived from Jurassic limestone formed 151-157 million years ago, and notable for the abundance of small fossilised oyster shells (Exogyra virgula). This is the same band of rock that appears in Chablis (only about 90km northeast of Sancerre as the crow flies), before resurfacing in Champagne’s Aube region.

Exposed slopes

The vineyards of Les Monts Damnés have thin terres blanches soils combined with a vertiginous, south-southeast facing slope. The wines produced here are closed when young, and are structured, concentrated and capable of extended ageing (top examples will easily age for 10 years). Les Monts Damnés is about 35ha in total and individual producers’ holdings are correspondingly small. As a result (like in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or), there is certainly a variation in style between producers, yet the quality of Sancerre produced from Les Monts Damnés is rarely in doubt.

Plots here are dominated by old vines, with widespread use of hand-harvesting and sustainable vineyard practices. Raphaël Thomas of Domaine Paul Thomas highlights the importance of Kimmeridgian marl on Les Monts Damnés: ‘The clay content is between 35% and 65%, with a large proportion made up of a clay called smectite. This swells in the rain and then slowly releases water to the vine in drought conditions.’ Arnaud Bourgeois agrees, saying, ‘even though the hill has full southerly exposure, the vines do not suffer from drought’.

Despite this direct exposure, Les Monts Damnés wines always show a finesse and balance between fruit ripeness, concentration and acidity. Bourgeois sums up the style perfectly: ‘La Côte des Monts Damnés is a wine that will always be on the edge, meaning a precise balance between the terroir and the variety, where neither of them will ever dominate.’

However, the style of Les Monts Damnés wines is by no means uniform, with altitude and exposition [alignment of the vineyards] playing a significant part in shaping style. Luc Prieur of Domaine Paul Prieur & Fils notes the ‘significant difference between those vineyards facing south and those which have a southeast or easterly exposition’.

Prieur’s wines are sited in this sector, close to the village of Verdigny. David Girard of Domaine Anthony & David Girard agrees: ‘The slope of Les Monts Damnés starts on Kimmeridgian and finishes with Portlandian/Kimmeridgian at the top – this diversity, and the exposition of the hill, makes Les Monts Damnés very rich and varied.’

Style diversity

A wine from Les Monts Damnés will almost certainly be of cru quality, yet producers have clear views as to the style they are trying to achieve. Harvest date, altitude and aspect lead to a divergence in terms of alcohol (from 12.5% to 14.5%), fruit character and residual sweetness. Although most Les Monts Damnés wines are technically dry, the density of sun-ripened fruit can leave a sensation of sweetness, with some top producers – for example, cousins François and Pascal Cotat – choosing to harvest very late.

This can result in wines with some residual sugar – occasionally labelled as Vin de France if they fail to meet the technical requirements of the Sancerre AP. Whatever the appellation rules, the wines of François and Pascal Cotat will always be at the top of the Monts Damnés quality pyramid – individual expressions of great Sancerre offering serious long-term ageing potential.

Pristine wines

Gérard Boulay is another famous producer, whose family have been cultivating wines in Chavignol since 1310. The domaine has 9ha overall, with 1.8ha in Les Monts Damnés and another 1.5ha in Cul de Beaujeu.

Boulay is focused on showing the greatest respect for the terroir, and he achieves wonderful purity of fruit from higher-density planting, the absence of herbicides/fungicides and pesticides, and hand-harvesting of all vines. Boulay is revered by many yet remains humble – and driven to produce the finest expression possible of the land and grape. These are pristine wines to behold.

Another famous, and important, name is Domaine Didier Dagueneau, perhaps the most sought-after producer of groundbreaking Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines. After the untimely death of Didier Dagueneau in 2008, his son Louis-Benjamin has taken the domaine forward without losing sight of any of the principles of his father.

Surprisingly, Dagueneau’s Le Mont Damné (singular on the label) often commands a lower price than its famous Silex Pouilly-Fumé, although this is still expensive for a Monts Damnés wine. Quality-wise, Dagueneau’s wine compares favourably with the best of the appellation, with a crystalline purity making it more intellectual and restrained.

No mention of Chavignol could be complete without noting the importance of the Famille Bourgeois. Located at the western end of the hamlet, the domaine (Domaine Henri Bourgeois) currently totals 70ha. Much of the credit for putting Chavignol on the map must go to Henri Bourgeois, who was working with about 2ha in the 1950s, but it is a new generation that is pushing the boundaries further. As well as producing single vineyard bottlings, the Bourgeois family is experimenting with massal selection (replanting vineyards using cuttings from the best-quality old vines) on a 1ha section of Les Monts Damnés. This wine, yet to be produced commercially, seems likely to raise the quality bar even higher.

Highest expression

Given the strong geological links between Sancerre and Chablis, one might conclude that these two wines are very close in character. However, this isn’t a view shared by producers in Chavignol. Arnaud Bourgeois observes: ‘In La Côte des Monts Damnés, we find mineral notes that are also present in the best climats of the Chablis area.’ But he goes on to say: ‘The combination of Kimmeridgian terroir and Sauvignon Blanc is unique. Les Monts Damnés represents the highest expression of Sauvignon Blanc in our region, rather than being a wine to compare to Chablis grand cru.’

Les Monts Damnés is an area that is undoubtedly of cru quality, and one that exemplifies the style of Sauvignon Blanc derived from Kimmeridgian soils. Being one third of the size of Chablis Grand Cru [which totalled 100ha in production in 2018, according to bourgogne-wines.com], producers’ holdings are small, leading to individual interpretations of the slope.

Despite this, the wines are of exceptional quality and still represent good value compared to cru-level wines from Burgundy. The biggest issue is tracking them down, as volumes are inevitably small. However, buy Les Monts Damnés and you will have a top Sancerre that will age and develop beautifully for many years.

Sancerre Les Monts Damnés leading producers

Gérard Boulay

Hubert Brochard

Clos La Néore

François Cotat

Pascal Cotat

Didier Dagueneau

Vincent Delaporte

Famille Bourgeois

Anthony & David Girard

Pierre Martin

André Neveu

Paul Prieur

Paul Thomas

Other top Sancerre lieux-dits

Clos de la Poussie (Bué),

La Grande Côte (Amigny),

Le Cul de Beaujeu (Chavignol),

Le Chêne Marchand,

Le Grand Chemarin

See Andy Howard MW’s selection of 14 Les Montes Damnés wines to try

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The Champagne house expanded into the region when it acquired Maison Langlois-Chateau in Saumur back in 1973.

It then bolstered its presence in Sancerre with the acquisition of Château de Thauvenay in 2016. Now it has tied up a deal to bring the family-run Hubert Brochard estate into the fold.

‘The acquisition of Hubert Brochard estate represents a unique opportunity to consolidate our footprint in this fantastic region and to continue to promote, in France and internationally, its savoir-faire and the very high quality of its wines,’ said Etienne Bizot, president and chief executive at the Bollinger Group.

Aimée and Hubert Brochard set up the business in 1900, and it is currently run by fourth-generation and fifth-generation family members.

The estate comprises around 60ha of vineyards spread over the best hills of the Sancerre appellation, straddling the villages Chavignol, Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre, Thauvenay, Sainte-Gemme and Sancerre. It also owns vineyards in Pouilly-Fumé.

François-Régis de Fougeroux, chief executive of Maison Langlois-Chateau, said the Hubert Brochard estate benefits from ‘a fantastic terroir, which will perfectly complement the vineyards we already own in the region’.

President Daniel Brochard said: ‘Each generation has participated in the development of our family estate and we are extremely proud of what we have accomplished, in full respect for tradition and for the work of the oldest generations.

‘The hand-over to our partner Bollinger Group will ensure the continuity of this journey fueled by the same values of entrepreneurship, family spirit, and obsession for quality.’

The Bollinger Group owns the iconic Champagne Bollinger and Champagne Ayala, but it also controls an increasingly diverse portfolio of wines and spirits, including Delamain Cognac and Ponzi Vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

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The Vouvray and Montlouis appellations are located in the Touraine region of the Loire Valley, 10km from the city of Tours and easily accessible by train from Paris.

Although they both enjoy proximity to the Loire river, facing each other across the water, they are quite different when it comes to terroir and wine production.

For one thing, Vouvray lies on the right bank, to the north of the seemingly languorous Loire – the longest river in France – while the lesser-known Montlouis is on the left bank. Nevertheless, the two have the omnipresence of that fabulous white grape variety Chenin Blanc, and their appellation production is limited to white wine.

A grape in common

Chenin Blanc is an alluring grape variety whose origins are enshrouded in mystery. It is not easy to find agreement about it among winegrowers and ampelographers. DNA analyses have not settled the question, but what seems incontrovertible is that the Savagnin grape, of Jura fame, is one of its parents. The jury is out as to the exact identity of the other parent, but Chenin Blanc does have a sibling relation to both Trousseau and Sauvignon Blanc, born of the same parentage.

Chenin Blanc is certainly an astonishing grape variety in its own right, expressive of its terroir origins and capable of producing quality wines in an array of styles. These range from sparkling to dry, off-dry, semi-dry, and all the way to lusciously sweet, including botrytised versions.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 10 Vouvray and Montlouis wine to try

What styles of wine are produced?

The whole stylistic range is produced in the two appellations, with the choice often depending on grape ripeness in the context of the variable climatic conditions that prevail in this region.

For challenging vintages in which grapes struggle to ripen, an obvious option is to increase the amount of sparkling wine, but in years where ripeness is not an issue and botrytis develops at the end of the growing season, some superlative sweet wines can be produced.

The wines of Vouvray tend to have more tension than those of Montlouis-sur-Loire, and more bewitching flinty aromas. Often Montlouis wines have more residual sugar than their neighbours from Vouvray, which makes them suitable as an accompaniment to a greater range of dishes, especially Asian food.

Climate

The climatic conditions of these two appellations are intimately linked to the local landscape, characterised by a number of valleys of varying exposure to sunlight and air movement, which creates specific conditions for each appellation.

This can prove critical when it comes to providing shelter for the vines from cold air and frost, especially for the more vulnerable Vouvray area, whereas the vineyards of Montlouis benefit from a more regular orientation with south-facing slopes.

Soils

Both appellations lie on a special soil type known in Touraine as tuffeau, the yellowish metamorphic rock dating back to the Turonian period (93.9 million-89.8 million years ago). This soft, porous chalk substance is what makes the distinctive maisons troglodytes possible – houses dug right into the limestone cliffs.

Vouvray has its own distinctive soil mix, including a calcareous clay rich in limestone known as aubuis that extends 30-40cm from the surface, and another deeper layer of siliceous sand and clay known as perruches.

Montlouis stretches over some 380ha on mainly clay-siliceous soils, with a layer of windblown sand and pebbles in some spots.

Vouvray is much larger with its 2,200ha, which explains to a large degree the greater heterogeneity of Vouvray wines compared to those from Montlouis.

The future is bright

There are signs of growing interest in these two appellations among international consumers attracted by the striking freshness and chiselled profile of the best dry whites from these areas, as well as by the well-structured and vivacious sweet wines.

Such is the special magic of the Chenin Blanc grape that even the sparkling wines have regained favour, especially for their appealing quality-to-price ratio for this category.

10 Vouvray and Montlouis wines to try:

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Loire Valley Chenin Blanc: a style guide

The Chenin Blanc renaissance?

The pattern for Loire reds in 2021 is similar to the whites. Initially there were some cold periods over the first part of winter, followed by rising temperatures in mid-February that continued into March, causing early bud-break.

Once again producers were faced with a series of spring frosts starting in late March, continuing into the first part of April. This series of frosts accumulated in severe crop loss similar to that of the infamous 1991 frost, which was a result of just one harsh night. Exceptionally, even Sancerre, which often escapes frost, was badly hit in 2021.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 31 top Loire red wines from 2020 and 2021

A fine autumn

Just as in 1991, the weather was cold after the frosts so the vines were slow to recover, reducing the number of second-generation bunches. The flowering was patchy and a wet summer provoked mildew.

Xavier Frissant, a winemaker in Touraine-Amboise, said: ‘In 2021 we made just 15hl/ha due to the frosts and poor flowering, especially for the Côt [Malbec], and mildew then caused further considerable damage.’

Fortunately, as so often happens in the Loire, a fine September and October with a drying wind from the east saved the vintage, with producers often surprised by the quality. Picking for the early red varieties started around 20 September, while harvesting for the Cabernet Franc started around the beginning of October and continued well into the month as the good weather allowed producers to wait for optimum maturity.

See Jim Budd’s Loire 2021 white wine report here

Loire red wine 2021: top producers

• Baudry-Dutour
• Clos Roussely
• Domaine de la Bonnelière
• Domaine de la Noblaie
• Lionel Gosseaume – Domaine de Pierre

At the time of tasting, many wines were yet to be bottled and released.

What to look out for in Loire 2021 reds

Although it is still relatively early days, my impression is that Gamay and Cabernet Franc have been more successful than Pinot Noir, where a very careful selection of grapes was essential.

This was confirmed by Florent Pinard, of the Vincent Pinard domaine in Sancerre: ‘For both our whites and reds we had to select the grapes we used very carefully. However, quality-wise we are fairly happy with the result, similar in style to 2014.’

In Chinon, Jean-Martin Dutour of Baudry-Dutour said: ‘Despite the small crop we are very happy with the reds; due to the fine September our Cabernet Franc reached 12.5% alcohol and was phenolically ripe.’

Loire red wine 2021: value picks

• Domaine de la Bonnelière, Tradition, Saumur-Champigny 2021
• Lionel Gosseaume, Domaine de Pierre Les Marcottes Gamay, Touraine 2021
• Domaine des Rochelles, L’Ardoise, Anjou Rouge 2021
• Domaine des Rochelles, Malbec, Val de Loire 2021

The small crop has forced some producers, such as Jean-Marie Bourgeois of Famille Bourgeois, to make difficult choices: ‘We didn’t make any red in 2021, choosing to make rosé instead.’ On the other hand, some, like Domaine Fouassier in Sancerre, chose not to make rosé in 2021. François Crochet made just one cuvée of his red Sancerre.

In a difficult vintage like 2021, the good producers have benefitted from the way they work in the vineyards and from making the right decisions during the fermentation and maturation processes. As with the whites, there is a considerable range of quality, with some wines lacking ripe fruit and displaying green tannins.

Of the producers who have made attractive reds, these are less powerful with lower alcohol levels than recent vintages, with more noticeable acidity – more like the traditional profile of Loire reds.

With their strong acid line, these well made 2021 reds, like the whites, should age well – provided they have enough fruit character to balance the acidity. It was very important to pick when the tannins were ripe, to treat them gently during fermentation, and not to leave them too long on the skins.

Know your Loire red vintages

2017: Once again spring frosts reduced the crop but less severe than 2016. Fourth successive good quality red vintage with balance and finesse. 5/5

2018: A rare frost-free very hot vintage with often high levels of alcohol up to 15%. More successful than whites with some very good reds, especially those from fruit picked before they became over-ripe. These should age very well. 5/5

2019: Another frost-affected but high quality vintage 5/5

2020: Hot but good vintage with often concentrated, ripe whites some with very high alcohols up to 15%. However, there is more freshness and balance than 2018. Some top cuvées yet to be released. 5/5.

2021: Most difficult vintage since 2013 with a small crop due to spring frosts, mildew and poor flowering for some varieties. Overall quality better than feared – return to a fresher more traditional Loire style. Some attractive reds but also there are some thin and mean examples. 3/5

Jim Budd’s top Loire reds from 2020 and 2021:

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New release Loire reds: the best from 2019 and 2020

10 top-rated Cabernet Francs from around the world worth seeking out

The 2021 vintage is very small in volume in the Loire, and is markedly different from the unbroken series of fine vintages from 2014 until now.

2021 has been frequently heralded as a return to a more classic style: more noticeable acidity, lower alcohol levels and less opulent, ripe fruit – a return to Loire wines’ famous ‘nervosité’, which is characterised by vibrancy and liveliness.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 36 top Loire white wines from 2020 and 2021

A tricky growing season

Once again the Loire was hit by April frosts at the start of the month, culminating in the night of 11 April. Spring frosts are always a threat in this northerly wine region but in recent years, spring frosts have become more prevalent – in the past six years, for example, the Loire has been hit by frost in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021.

Instead of being a single devastating night of frost, as was the case in April 1991, the norm has become a series of nights below freezing.

Ivan Massonnat of Domaine Belargus in Anjou said: ‘From the end of March to the beginning of April, our team spent precisely 15 nights standing, fighting alongside our vines. Mother Nature has no schedules: she tested us even more than in previous years. There were too many freezing nights for us to protect our entire vineyard. Day after day, the uninjured areas therefore became increasingly rare, until only the three hectares of Quarts de Chaume remained.’

Sadly, losses of 70% were commonplace in 2021. Unusually, even Sancerre – which normally escapes substantial frost damage due to its steep slopes – was hit severely in 2021, including vineyards on the higher ground.

Fortunately there are now many more frost protection systems in place than there were seven or eight years ago, but the type of frost is often unpredictable.

The cold spring was followed by a poor, wet summer that provoked mildew, adding to the misery inflicted by the frost. Fortunately, September and October were sunny and dry, saving the vintage.

Picking started considerably later than in recent vintages. The Ban des Vendanges – the official start of the harvest period – for Muscadet, which is always among the first to start, was on 15 September in 2021. In comparison, in recent years Muscadet has started in early September or even the latter part of August: the 2020 harvest began on 26 August.

Loire white wine 2021: top producers

At the time of tasing, many wines were yet to be bottled and released

• Claude Lafond
• Domaine Cady
• Domaine des Herbauges
• Famille Bourgeois
• Jean-François Mérieau

Smaller crops but promising quality

Overall, the volume of the 2021 Loire vintage was down 40% on the previous year. It is closer in style to 2013 – an even later vintage which didn’t see the Muscadet picked until 23 September – although it is considerably better and more promising than that poor vintage.

David Vigan, manager at Château du Brueil in Anjou, said: ‘Given the difficult year, the quality of 2021 is astonishingly good. Overall, we were down 50% in volume so we had concentrated fruit in some parcels due to the small crop.’

Jacky Blot of Domaine de la Taille aux Loups had a similar experience: ‘We were down 50% at 19hL/ha but the quality was a nice surprise with good mature grapes.’

The shortage of grapes and the difficult conditions means that some producers will not have made their full range of wines. Jean-Marie Bourgeois, of Famille Bourgeois confirmed, ‘We haven’t made our top cuvées, like Jadis, in 2021.’

Loire white wines 2021: value picks

• Domaine des Herbauges, Fief Guérin Sur Lie, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu 2021
• Joseph de Maistre, Le Prieuré de Saint-Céols, Menetou-Salon 2021
• Domaine Cady, Cheninsolite, Anjou Blanc 2021
• Domaine Jacky Marteau, Touraine 2021
• Desprat Saint-Verny, Chardonnay 809 The Lost Vineyard, Côtes d’Auvergne 2021

With their marked backbone of acidity, well-made 2021 whites should age well provided they have enough fruit to carry and balance the acidity. In particular, there are some very good sweet wines made in Anjou in 2021, including from Quarts de Chaume.

It is in difficult vintages that good producers really come to the fore. Unfortunately it is evident that some 2021s have green fruit and rasping acidity, so you need to buy 2021s with care and expect prices to have risen, due in part to the small vintage but also because of recent substantial increases in the price of glass bottles and cartons.

Know your Loire white vintages

2017: Once again spring frosts reduced the crop, but less severely than 2016. Many very good whites with balance and finesse. 5/5

2018: A rare frost-free, very hot vintage with often high levels of alcohol – some whites just too powerful, heavy and lacking acidity. Large vintage. 3/5

2019: Another frost-affected vintage but it produced brilliantly balanced whites with some producers saying it is the best dry white vintage they have ever made. Will need time to show best but should age extremely well. 5/5

2020: Hot vintage with often concentrated, ripe white wines, some with very high alcohols up to 15%. However, there is more freshness and balance than 2018. Should mature more quickly than 2019s. 4/5.

2021: Most difficult vintage since 2013, with a small crop due to spring frosts, mildew and poor flowering for some varieties. Overall quality better than feared – return to a fresher, more traditional Loire style. There is a big range of quality between producers. 3/5

Jim Budd’s top Loire whites from 2020 and 2021:

While many 2021 Loire whites haven’t been bottled yet, Jim has recommended 13 that are already available, plus 23 2020s – all top picks to drink now.

Related content:

New release Loire reds: the best from 2019 and 2020

New release Loire white wines: the best from 2019 and 2020

Loire alternatives to Sancerre & Pouilly-Fumé: expert’s choice

At the western edge of France, the vineyards of Muscadet cloak a verdant landscape of wandering cattle, low farm buildings and gentle slopes that descend to the cool and shady Loire tributaries of the Sèvre Nantaise and the Maine.

This is one of the oldest appellations in France, and it feels as if little has changed here in decades, if not centuries. But a gradual revolution has been taking place.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores of 20 spectacular Muscadet Crus Communaux wines

Growers with an eye to quality have quietly been working to obtain cru recognition for their top cuvées. These are wines grown in specific sites and aged for years in cool, underground vats.

The journey to achieving cru status has been long – and isn’t over yet – but it is proving to be worth the wait.

Muscadet, a wine historically known more for its ubiquity than its quality, has been reimagined as a modern classic. The cru wines are vibrant and food-friendly, low in alcohol, subtly complex and capable of effortless ageing. Fashioned from traditional winemaking techniques – and a lot of patience – this is the new Muscadet, and it’s bang up to date.

Muscadet is the largest appellation in the Loire valley and, for the most part, it’s always been a straightforward one: there is a single grape variety and a single style of wine, often aged over the winter on lees (‘sur lie’) before its release (see Muscadet – Vins de Nantes).

The light, dry, citrussy white reflects the irregular, cool weather of the vineyards’ location close to France’s northwest Atlantic coast.

A popular match for local seafood, due to its fresh, saline drinkability and inexpensive price tag, it is the product of a grape that is the unique signature of the region: Melon B (see box below).

Melon B

The grape you really, really want…

There aren’t many places in the world that can claim a grape variety that is truly its own, but Muscadet is one of them.

The grape may have originally been brought from Burgundy, hence the historic name Melon de Bourgogne, but as readily as it was rejected by the Burgundians it was embraced by growers in the cooler vineyards around Nantes thanks to its valued resistance to winter chill.

There are tiny pockets of the grape grown in cool locations in the US and Canada today, but otherwise Melon means Muscadet and Muscadet means Melon.

As an aside, the Burgundians are not happy with the use of the word ‘Bourgogne’ anywhere outside Burgundy, so even though Melon de Bourgogne is the historical and commonly used name of the grape, the official name is Melon B. Yes, it’s the Spice Girl grape. And in case you were wondering, the B stands for Blanc (definitely not Bourgogne).

The Melon grape has never been fashionable or popular elsewhere, but its relatively neutral character has its benefits. As François Robin of the Fédération des Vins de Nantes explains: ‘Because Melon is not aromatically expressive, it has a greater tendency to transmit terroir.’

Naturally, terroir expression has been a key element in defining the newest addition to the Muscadet appellation. Permitted yields are lower for the cru wines, and they must age on their lees for an extended period typically ranging from 18 months to two or three years. Robin says the crus have brought a renewed sense of pride to Muscadet producers: ‘Finally, we have confidence that we can make great wines with our own grape variety.’

Longer on lees

The cru initiative came from a handful of growers in the village of Gorges in the late 1990s. They decided to experiment by leaving their finished wines on lees for longer than the traditional sur lie period: years instead of months (see box).

Soon, growers in the neighbouring villages of Clisson and Le Pallet were experimenting in the same way. They discovered that the three different terrains produced superior and distinct styles of wine and set about obtaining official recognition for this new style of Muscadet.

Undaunted by the glacial pace of French wine legislation, the growers persisted and finally achieved cru recognition for each in 2011.

Meanwhile, momentum was building among other groups of growers. In 2019, a further four crus were recognised, namely Goulaine, Monnières-St Fiacre, Château-Thébaud and Mouzillon-Tillières. Soon, La Haye-Fouassière, Vallet and Champtoceaux will join the group to bring the total up to 10.

For readers looking to find these wines, it is useful to note that there is no mention of ‘sur lie’ on the labels, which regular buyers of Muscadet might find confusing, since these are wines that are clearly defined by the influence of long lees ageing. This is where you need to forget everything you thought you already knew about Muscadet, and instead marvel at the French administrative genius in coming up with new rules that make no sense when applied. The mention of sur lie as part of the appellation on a Muscadet label can only be used for wines that have aged on their lees for between five and 14 months (ie, the traditional Muscadet sur lie category, which remains unchanged).

Any wine that has spent longer than 14 months ageing on lees (meaning any cru wine) is actually prohibited from using the term sur lie. Crazy, but true – or, as one local winemaker succinctly put it: ‘C’est très français.’

Lees ageing: the key to quality in Muscadet

Lees are composed principally of dead yeast cells that sink to the bottom of the fermentation vessel once they have done their work in converting grape sugars to alcohol during winemaking.

Lees ageing is a valued winemaking technique, notably used in the context of barrel-fermented white Burgundy and Champagne. Leaving new wine in contact with its lees enhances richness of aroma and, especially, texture, which is often described as more rounded, mouthfilling, or mealy. When this ageing extends for several years, the lees begin to break down, leading to the yeasty complexity we associate most readily with Champagne.

During the ageing period, lees may be stirred into suspension periodically, a process known as batonnage. This can accentuate and accelerate the effects of the lees and use of the technique depends very much on the style a winemaker is seeking to achieve.

Wines with prolonged lees ageing have been shown to have higher levels of amino acids, something that has been linked with generating higher scores from critics. It is also suggested that the savoury, umami characters that come from lees ageing improve a wine’s suitability for drinking with a wide range of foods.

Lees ageing is one of the keys to quality in AP Muscadet, but knowing how long a wine has been on lees is not always apparent from the label. Here is what you need to know:

Muscadet The basic AP appellation – no requirement for lees ageing. These wines may contain a small percentage of Chardonnay (all other Muscadet APs are 100% Melon B).

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Accounting for about two-thirds of Muscadet wine produced, the vineyards are situated between the Sèvre Nantaise and Maine tributaries. No requirement for lees ageing.

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine + sur lie The wine must have aged on lees for between five and 14 months (but no longer).

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine + the name of one of the crus Each cru has its own minimum ageing requirements, meaning these wines can spend anything from 18 months to several years resting on their lees before bottling. Confusingly, use of the term ‘sur lie’ is actually prohibited for wines aged longer than 14 months on lees.

The crus communaux Clisson, Gorges, Le Pallet, Goulaine, Monnières-St Fiacre, Château-Thébaud and Mouzillon-Tillières have all been approved and are usually seen on the front label. Three other crus are in-waiting: La Haye-Fouassière, Vallet and Champtoceaux. Regardless of their current unofficial status, these names are also often seen on the label, because these wines have been produced already for a number of years as part of the ongoing process of achieving the cru recognition.

Soil diversity

The Muscadet terrain is complex. Soils derive from an ancient bedrock formed by the breakdown of the enormous Hercynian mountain range that existed some 350 million years ago. Now known as the Massif Armoricain, it’s home to the oldest soils in the Loire valley, and Muscadet winemakers are proud of the rocks that lie beneath their vines: granite, gabbro, amphibolite, serpentinite, orthogneiss… These are not your run-of-the-mill vineyard soils: some are so rare they are found in almost no other vineyards.

Part of the lengthy process of defining the crus has been mapping these differences.

The Lieubeau family makes a range of cru wines from Clisson, Château-Thébaud and Goulaine. Brothers François and Vincent explain how the different terroirs affect the wines.

Clisson comprises granite bedrock with sand on top – a free-draining, warm soil that typically gives wines with slightly higher alcohol than the other crus. Winemaker Vincent describes Clisson as ‘the most approachable cru – fruity, sunny, spicy and bold’.

In comparison, Château-Thébaud vineyards are more varied in terms of soil composition, but all are on slopes and have thin topsoil. This means the vines are subject to more water stress. Vincent says these wines are ‘thinner, clearer, smoky, fresher and more mineral’.

Their third cru, Goulaine, is easy, rich and citrussy, and a little less acid-driven than the other two. Goulaine grapes come from a mild microclimate on a sandy hill surrounded by marshland. All of these wines are aged on lees for two to three years, and are a far cry from the everyday Muscadet to be gulped down with a plate of oysters.

Wines from the Gorges cru are known for being long-lived, austere and perhaps the most extreme of the crus in style, with razor-sharp acidity and precision. Asked how he would describe Gorges wines, Fred Lailler clenches his fist: ‘They should be like gunflint.’

Lailler, winemaker and owner of Domaine Brégeon, explains that the wines are born from a subsoil of gabbro, a dense, dark and impenetrable igneous rock. The topsoil, rich in clay, retains water easily, making this a much cooler growing environment for vines than next-door Clisson’s warm, sandy granite. The grapes ripen later and have less of the easygoing fruitiness that typifies Clisson wines.

Lailler’s approach to winemaking is strict. He aims for minimal intervention and tries to avoid excessive alcohol in his wines, shaking his head as he pours a 2018: ‘12.5% – it’s too much.’ Here, 12% is the norm. Lailler’s wines show concentration and balance, shining fruit and laser-bright, saline acid.

Varying techniques

Because historically Muscadet has only been left on its lees over the winter following harvest, there is ongoing speculation over what constitutes an ideal ageing period for the crus. ‘It’s new for us all,’ says Robin, ‘and we are still learning.’ But a few top producers have a longer history of making wines in this style.

At Luneau-Papin, for example, Marie Luneau explains that the ageing period for high-end cuvée Excelsior (in Goulaine) was reduced from 36 months to 24 in 2012.

Another who has been experimenting for longer than most is Muscadet veteran Jo Landron, in La Haye-Fouassière. He has been identifying and vinifying individual parcels for years, leaving the wines on lees for long periods. His top cuvée, Le Fief du Breil, is a fine example of the potential and longevity of these wines. The grapes grow in what is now the cru of La Haye-Fouassière. He currently favours increasing the length of lees ageing for his more recent vintages, explaining: ‘Lees have a physical action, softening bitter flavours, giving a rounder texture and revealing citrussy notes.’ But he adds that some crus are better suited to long lees ageing than others, depending on the soil type.

It is likely his Fief du Breil will be labelled as a cru in future, although one gets the impression that for Landron it is all rather academic. As he points out: ‘The individual lieu-dit sites were recognised long before anyone thought of having a cru system. I’ve been making wines like this for 30 years.’

Then there is the thorny question of what to do while the wine is ageing on its lees. While some winemakers (such as the Lieubeaus) stir the lees regularly, others prefer to leave well alone. Lailler reveals he never touches his wines during the lengthy maturation process, dismissing batonnage as ‘useless and violent’. This might be an extreme view, but certainly there are other winemakers, such as Jérémie Huchet, who are unconvinced that batonnage works for their terroir and style: ‘It erases the terroir,’ he says.

At Domaine Le Fay d’Homme, biodynamic winegrower Vincent Caillé takes a more measured approach, born perhaps of his 35 years’ experience. He varies the length of ageing and the amount of lees stirring according to the wine. He notes: ‘Batonnage accelerates the ageing process because it brings oxygen to the wine.’

After tasting a selection of site-specific, lees-aged Muscadet wines from vintages dating back to 2001, there is no question in my mind that, despite their apparent delicacy, these are wines with excellent potential to age. They retain their youthful freshness for far longer than one might imagine, gaining in complexity and interest for decades (if you can resist drinking them). Even better, many of the wines currently available to buy are already several years old, coming straight from the cool cellars of Muscadet.

See tasting notes and scores of 20 spectacular Muscadet Crus Communaux wines

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Domaine Huet: Profile and tasting report on latest releases

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An exclusive report on Domaine Huet's latest releases, plus tasting notes on several older vintages from this legendary Vouvray estate...

Founded in the Loire village of Vouvray in 1928, Domaine Huet is revered for its ageworthy Chenin Blancs.

Gaston Huet, son of the founders, was mayor of Vouvray from when the AC was granted in 1947 to 1989, and supervised more than 60 vintages until his death in 2002.

Scroll down to see tasting notes tasting notes and scores for new release wines and older vintages

The domaine then passed to his son-in-law Noël Pinguet, who had been working with Huet since 1976 and was instrumental in converting the 35ha domaine to biodynamic practices in 1990.Chinese-American businessman Anthony Hwang bought the estate in 2003, though the Huet family retains control of the stock of older vintages going back to 1921.

Pinguet resigned suddenly in 2012, reportedly due to disagreements with the Hwang family over wine styles. Beginning with the 2020 vintage, Benjamin Joliveau took over the helm for wine production at Domaine Huet from Jean-Bernard Berthomé, formerly Noël Pinguet’s right-hand man, who decided to retire after more than thirty years of loyal service to the estate.

Huet is famed for its three vineyards:

• Le Haut-Lieu (9ha)
• Le Mont (8ha)
• Clos du Bourg (6ha)

Le Haut-Lieu is the original estate vineyard, whose rich limestone-clay soils give wines that are the most approachable in youth.

Gaston Huet bought Le Mont in 1957, and the stony, south-facing vineyard yields wines of great minerality and tension.

Clos du Bourg, purchased in 1953, dates to the 8th century and its 6ha of vines are surrounded by an ancient stone wall. Gaston Huet believed this to be Vouvray’s greatest vineyard, and its wines are certainly the most powerful and vibrant.

Each vineyard expresses unique characters, and the wines can be made in four styles, subject to vintage conditions:

• Sec (less than 5g/l of residual sugar)
• Demi-sec Off-dry, typically 15-25g/l)
• Moëlleux Meaning ‘mellow’, this is a medium-sweet style at 45-55g/l)
• Moëlleux Première Trie The ‘first picking’ of botrytised berries produces a wine with residual sugar of more than 60g/l

All styles are balanced by very high total acidities of between 4-6g/l TA

Introduction and profile by Tina Gellie

Yohan Castaing tastes the latest releases: 2019 and 2020

2019 is without question a very fine vintage for Vouvray wines, and yet the winemakers had to face challenging climatic episodes that included frost, excessive heat and especially significant drought conditions.

More than ever, the quality of vineyard work proved to be an asset, especially to maintain soil health by improving its intake of available oxygen. However, not many sweet wines were produced in 2019 because of the high levels of rainfall from the beginning of October, with nearly 113.2mm falling in Angers compared to an average of 71.8mm.

The 2020 vintage is another quality vintage in the Loire, even more so than 2019, as the production of superlative sweet wines was possible. From the beginning of the growth cycle, vines were on track almost two weeks ahead of the usual calendar dates. Thereafter, the weather was challenging at times but without dramatically affecting the yield.

The harvest took place in perfect conditions, which allowed each producer to fix what he or she considered to be optimal harvest dates. In fact, this latitude in choosing picking times had an impact on the chosen styles of the wines, which at their best are closely identified by their respective terroirs of the Loire region.

As for Domaine Huet, without a doubt, biodynamic viticulture enabled this estate to harvest exceptional grapes and make equally exceptional wines.

See tasting notes and scores for latests releases and older vintages:

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The latest edition of The World Atlas of Wine (8th edition, £50 Mitchell Beazley) states that in the eastern part of the Loire valley, Sauvignon Blanc ‘can make better, certainly finer and more complex, wine than anywhere else in the world’.

Although perhaps a bold statement, there is no doubt that with the festive season approaching, demand for the crisp, aromatic and food-friendly wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé will leap. But there are a number of other appellations close to Sancerre/Pouilly-Fumé with very similar wine styles, often at significantly lower prices.

Scroll down for Andy Howard MW’s top Sancerre & Pouilly-Fumé alternatives

What are the key names to look out for and what should enthusiasts expect from these Sauvignon Blanc alternatives?

The style of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé is shaped by the cool, marginal, continental climate, requiring an extended growing season to deliver full ripeness. Soils are another key factor, with the significant presence of the Kimmeridgian – a combination of clay and limestone marl dating back to the Jurassic period. In fact, the eastern Loire shares much of its geology with Chablis and the Côte des Bar to the northeast, and the significance of terroir can be seen when comparing Sancerre and Chablis – despite being made from two distinctly different grape varieties, the wines can often be confused when tasted blind.

Sancerre lies on the left (western) bank of the Loire, with Pouilly-Fumé on the right. The appellations share many similarities, with wines showing fresh, pronounced grassy aromas, bright citrus acidity and a mineral character on the finish. Sancerre is perhaps more intense and precise with aromas of white flowers, while Pouilly-Fumé often displays pithy, zesty fruit characters as well as a flinty (‘fumé’) note on the palate. The restraint shown by eastern Loire Sauvignon Blanc is very different to the pungent, more tropical expressions that are often found in New Zealand and Chile.

Nearby options

Closest to Sancerre – in both location and quality – is Menetou-Salon, a significant AP of 390ha (for its white wines) created in 1959 and located on Kimmeridgian soils. Menetou-Salon can be a match for Sancerre with a slightly more forward fruit and aromatic profile, often influenced by a higher iron content derived from the sandstone found here. Morogues is the only commune that you will commonly see on labels, having attached its name to Menetou-Salon, and it is a source of some of the AP’s best wines.

Further west, one reaches the smaller APs of Quincy (303ha, all white) and Reuilly (128ha for whites). Quincy was France’s first appellation for white wine, granted in 1936. Both of these APs are undergoing a revival and many of the wines deliver Sancerre/Pouilly-Fumé quality at a significantly lower price. Being closer to the Atlantic, the maritime influence is rather more pronounced, with soils a combination of sandy gravel terraces and limestone slopes. Both Quincy and Reuilly have similar wine styles with more herbaceous notes than Sancerre, backed up with very firm acidity.

Another up-and-coming appellation is Coteaux du Giennois (115ha for white), with some of the best wines coming from vines grown on similar soils to Sancerre/Pouilly-Fumé. Leading producers Clément and Florian Berthier bottle three distinctive single-vineyard expressions – Marne, Caillotte and Silex – with each one highlighting specific terroir.

One should not overlook Touraine Sauvignon, as producers rein in the more New World exotic, pungent style with some decidedly-Sancerre lookalikes. In addition, there are a number of ‘entry-level’ Sauvignons labelled Val de Loire and Vin de France, which deliver the crisp, focused, mineral style that both Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé fans will enjoy.

Andy Howard MW’s top Sancerre & Pouilly-Fumé alternatives

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Harvest has finally arrived for the Sancerre 2021 vintage, following a growing season described as ‘complicated’ and even ‘catastrophic’ at times.

The final harvest reports for 2021 will not be available until November, but the general estimate is yields will be around 50% of a normal year. There is, however, wide variation across vineyard parcels.

France as a whole is facing one of its smallest wine harvests in recent memory, after a year of weather-related difficulties – especially severe spring frost and mildew outbreaks.

Exhausted vignerons in Sancerre say quality could still very good for the grapes that made it, but they are eager to put this year behind them.

For Adélaïde Grall, co-owner of Vincent Grall vineyards, 2021 was a year that proved the local adage ‘Année en 1, année de rien‘, or ‘A year with a one is a year of nothing’.

Frost impact on Sancerre 2021 vintage

In early April, Sancerre, like Champagne, Burgundy and many other regions, was hit with a devastating frost.

Multiple factors increased its impact. Just days before the frost, Sancerre experienced uncharacteristically warm weather. Bourges, the regional capital, reached a record 24.9°C (76.8°F), the highest recorded since record-keeping began in 1913.

Temperatures then plunged to -5° to -7°C, (19.4-23°F). Worse, the low temperatures held for three consecutive nights.

Many feared the damage would rival that of 1991, when a hard frost reduced production by 60%.

An estimated 30% of all buds in the region froze, according to field surveys by SICAVAC (Service Interprofessional de Conseil Agronomique, de Vinifications et d’Analayses du Centre), the technical support organisation for the vineyards of Central Loire.

But the extent of damage varied considerably by parcel, with some winegrowers experiencing losses of 80% or greater.

Pinot Noir, which had already started bud-break, was particularly hard-hit. Used to make Sancerre red and Sancerre rosé, Pinot Noir is already rare – making up less than 20% of overall production.

Summer brought additional challenges, especially rain and high humidity, creating the perfect conditions for mildew.

Temperatures vacillated quickly between very warm and unseasonably cool, and strong storms rolled through the area just before harvest.

Fewer Clusters but high quality

While the situation is clearly difficult for all the winegrowers, it poses unique challenges for smaller-scale wine producers.

Vincent and Adélaïde Grall are among Sancerre’s smallest-scale winemakers. Their vines, both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, consist of 4.5 hectares (11 acres), scattered across multiple sites in the AOC.

Unusual for the region, the soil contributing to their terroir includes 80% silex (flint). Overall, less than 15% of Sancerre is flint.

More common is limestone, including chalky Kimmeridgian marl, known as ‘terres blanches’ because it turns white when dry, as well as ‘caillottes’ – limestone pebbles mixed with clay. Each soil type imparts different characteristics; but it is silex that gives a Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc a distinctive minerality.

Though it has been a tough year, the Gralls consider themselves fortunate that their main plot in the north of Sancerre, which was harder hit than the south, had been pruned late in the season.

As a result, many buds were still closed in April and avoided frost damage. Though anticipating a loss of 50%, the results are better than expected. Adélaïde Grall said, ‘The rain just before harvest turned the grapes into juice. The plots that had not frozen produce normal yields. The quality is good! It might be a “mineral” vintage, which we like. Nature is amazing!’

Despite the challenges, this year’s fruit is of high quality. The berries, many more green than golden in colour, have less sugar than recent warmer years.

This should result in lower alcohol wines, more akin to a ‘traditional’ cool-climate Sancerre, with good acidity. But the berries are fragile, plump from the rain and thin-skinned, making the harvest more difficult, especially by mechanical means.

Small-scale winemakers usually sell everything they produce each year, the majority of it sold locally and direct to visitors. This is both because of economic necessity plus lack of space to store wine.

Due to the pandemic, some vignerons do have a little stock in reserve to fall back on. It will likely be needed, because this small harvest comes just after Sancerre was named ‘The Most Preferred Village in France’ in a national contest. The award is already driving an increase in tourism that is likely to surge as travel picks up.

Is this the new normal for Sancerre?

Is this 2021 growing season example of a ’new normal’, characterized by increasing variability in weather and climate?

If so, Sancerre’s winemakers are ready to turn to innovation. While acknowledging the strong role of tradition in French winemaking, Adélaïde Grall said, ‘Innovation has always occurred in the wine industry. How we make wine today is different than how we made it 20 or 30 years ago.’

Indeed, all of France adapted to conquer phylloxera in the late 19th century. At the same time, Sancerre shifted its focus to Sauvignon Blanc.

But these climate challenges will drive the need for more precision agricultural techniques, including calibration of management practices during the growing season and when making harvest decisions.

Previously, acid and sugar levels, and their interaction, was the primary focus for winemakers. According to Benoît Roumet, former director of the Central Loire wine bureau (BIVC), this is no longer enough. ‘In the last 10 years more and more winemakers monitor many more characteristics, such as the maturity of the pips and the character of the skin,’ he said.

As harvest approaches growers may do multiple assessments each day to hit that precise moment when the berry pulp transforms to juice ready for pressing.

Winemaking techniques may change, in fact they are already adapting as chaptalisation, commonly used a decade ago, is now rarely needed.

Despite the difficult year, 2021 will produce very nice wine. But the vignerons of Sancerre are already looking forward to 2022, a year without a ‘one’.

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Aromatic and zesty, the Sauvignon Blancs of the Loire Valley have set a high benchmark. The main appellations, listed below, are some of the most famous Sauvignon growing areas in the world.

Key Loire Sauvignon Blanc Appellations:

• Touraine
• Sancerre
• Pouilly-Fumé
• Menetou-Salon

What does Loire Sauvignon Blanc taste like?

Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire tends to have a different flavour and aroma profile to its cousin in Marlborough, New Zealand, another well-recognised Sauvignon Blanc producing region.

The Loire produces Sauvignon that is zesty and zingy, often showing steely, flinty characters. It leans towards green apple, gooseberry and grapefruit flavours. Whereas Marlborough Sauvignon is more intensely aromatic and pungent, with ripe tropical fruit flavours and herbaceous characters.

Below are some excellent examples for drinking now, tasted by Decanter contributors and members of Decanter’s editorial team, all retailing in the UK for under £25.

Some examples come from Jim Budd’s recent report on new-release Loire white wines, where he has picked the best wines from the 2019 and 2020 vintages.

‘These are happy days in the Loire. 2020 is the seventh successive good to very good vintage in the region’, said Jim Budd, DWWA Regional Chair for the Loire.

The options below are some value Loire Sauvignon Blanc examples, coming from Touraine, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Menetou-Salon.

Great value Loire Sauvignon Blanc wines

Wines shown in score order

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When Philip Fournier Longchamps established Domaine FL by buying two estates in 2006 and 2007, he had a clear vision. Born and raised in Anjou, he and his son Julien resolved to make Savennières that could age for decades, inspired by old vintages in Philip’s father cellar.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of six Savennières from Domaine FL

Birth of an estate

Philip, CEO of a telecoms company, acquired and merged two estates, one on each side of the river Loire – Domaine Jo Pithion and Château de Chamboureau – building a winery in 2011 to process the fruit from the 45ha of vineyards, including 30ha in Savennières. (The other holdings are in Anjou, Coteaux-du-Layon and the grand cru Quart de Chaumes.)

The pair work organically in the vineyards, with some plots farmed biodynamically, including the parcel in Roche aux Moines. The aim is to express the terroir to its fullest potential, and consultants in the vineyard (Ludovic Pierrot from Burgundy) and winery (Kyriakos Kynigopoulos, who took over from Stéphane Derenoncourt) focus on plot-by-plot winemaking. 

Against malolactic

Vinification is the same across the range of Savennières wines, and so any differences are down to the soils. Everything is done to avoid oxidation and to preserve expression of terroir. The wines are aged in barrel for 12 months, and a further six months in large wooden vats.

The estate chose to eschew malolactic fermentation, in order to preserve acidity and achieve maximum ageing potential. ‘We were wine lovers before becoming winemakers,’ said Julien. ‘Before 1980, almost no one in Savennières used malolactic. We’d tasted and loved older wines that hadn’t undergone malolactic fermentation, and could also see how some newer wines that had were evolving. We wanted wines that would age for a long time – malolactic is usually used to make a wine more accessible at a younger age.’ 

How it evolves

The pair recommend that you keep their wines for at least three years after the vintage before opening, and five for Roche aux Moines. ‘Savennières is one of the great ageable white styles of France, a conjunction of energy and minerality’ says Julien. 

So how do the wines evolve? ‘Like Alsace, our wines become less acidic and more mineral with time. You won’t find oxidation, you won’t find buttery notes, and you won’t usually find petrol notes. It’s more a candied citrus fruit character, perhaps a hint of white truffle.’ 

Schist is everything

The more schist there is in the soil, the higher the level of acidity and complexity, and the greater the ageing potential, explains Julien. Domaine FL owns 4.8ha of the 22ha total vineyard in Roche aux Moines, and considers it the greatest ‘Savennières terroir. ‘It’s down to the metamorphic rock, which gives massive ageing potential. You can happily keep those wines for 30 years.’

The shallower the soils, the more mineral the wines. The typical characteristic of Savennières is flintiness. But you’ll also find vintage character coming through. ‘Riper vintages such as 2009 might display botrytic aromas, while 2011 would be more about white flowers, and 2012 more aromatic,’ says Julien. ‘In general, you’ll find bright fruit and lemon citrus in riper years, with a confit character in warm vintages and a more electric aspect in fresher years. Acidity and minerality will always dominate, but the exposure of the vineyards also gives the wines a body that balances this.’

Ripe 2018 vintage

Why do the alcohol levels go so high on some of the ‘Savennières? ‘We have to get the right balance between acidity and alcohol,’ replies Julien. ‘It’s never less than 13.5%. Also, 2018 is riper than some other Loire vintages. We have seen some signs of climate change, and that could be a factor, but the alcohols are due more to our winemaking choices.’

The milder conditions in 2018 were welcome after the severe frosts and tiny yields of 2017 (repeated this year when the estate lost around 80% of production). ‘2018 was a vintner’s vintage,’ says Julien. ‘We had a cold winter followed by a damp spring, then a nice summer; so as long as you avoided problems in the spring, then you could enjoy the long ripening period. It ended up being a good balance between quality and yields.’

Savennières at a glance:

• Appellation created: 1952
• Right bank of the Loire river, southeast exposure
• 168ha in production; 38 growers
• Named by the Romans after Vicus Saponaria, meaning ‘place of soap’ after the soapwort, a perennial pink flower which once bloomed along the banks of this part of the Loire
• The appellation sits at the easternmost edge of the Massif Armoricain where it meets the Paris Basin, in short the place where white Anjou (67 million years old formation: marls chalk, limestone and shell beds) meets black Anjou (500 million years: granite, slate and schist). Sandstone was converted to quartzites, compacted limestone.
• Dry Savennières represents 90% of production, with an average yield of 34hl/ha
• Suggested food matches: asparagus; white meat or poultry with cream and lemon; Asian dishes; grilled fish with butter. In general, open the day before drinking.

Savennières to seek out:

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Regional profile: Savennières

‘I don’t really like Sauvignon Blanc. Too many are unbalanced, too exuberant and aromatic, and lacking in texture – it doesn’t make you want a second glass. If you use commercial yeasts in the winemaking, it goes quickly to passion fruit, exuberance and so on; but if you use indigenous yeasts, it becomes more about the soil.

‘We wanted to address the confusion between Pouilly-Fumé [Loire Sauvignon Blanc] and Pouilly-Fuissé [Chardonnay from Mâcon in Burgundy], so we’ve relabelled our Pouilly-Fumé as Fumé Blanc. The original name of the appellation, pre-1970s, was Blanc Fumé de Pouilly, so we’re going back to our roots. I’m proud to be French, but we wanted a name that’s easy to understand in every language.

‘The late Kit Stevens MW once said, Sancerre is like spring, Pouilly-Fumé like summer – meaning that Sancerre is more immediately approachable in its youth, but with Pouilly-Fumé, you have to wait. Pouilly-Fumé is more mineral, a connoisseur’s wine. It was very famous in the 1980s and ’90s, until Sancerre eclipsed it in popularity – maybe partly because Sancerre is easier to pronounce. We’re on a mission to bring Pouilly-Fumé back.

‘I learned in Japan that Sancerre works better with sushi, Pouilly-Fumé with sashimi. In general, choose Sancerre to match white-meat fish, and Pouilly-Fumé for red-meat fish such as tuna or salmon.’

The difference between Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé – Ask Decanter

Jacky Blot has been making wine since 1989, picking the quiet village of Montlouis-Sur-Loire for his base, just down the road from Vouvray.

The unassuming stone building of Domaine de La Taille Aux Loups in Montlouis seems a million miles away from the grandeur of the nearby Château de Chenonceau. Located on the southern bank of the Loire river, it is just a short car journey to Vouvray, crossing the bridge to the north bank of the river.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores on 24 red and white wines by Jacky Blot

The estate is run by Jacky Blot and his son, Jean-Philippe. Their guiding principles of organic viticulture and small yields from a massal selection of old vines have helped to bring the wines to the attention of those with their ears to the ground. Not only are the wines among the most exciting, scintillating examples of Chenin in the Loire, but they remain incredible value considering the quality.

With the purchase of sister estate Domaine de La Butte in Bourgeil in 2002, Jacky Blot now makes both red and white wine under four appellations: Touraine, Vin de France, Montlouis-Sur-Loire, and Bourgeuil, spanning the gamut from dry sparkling wine all the way through to ultra-decadent botrytised wines.

Inspired by Burgundy

It’s fair to say that the house speciality is Chenin Blanc, especially given its proximity to Vouvray – just a 15-minute drive away – but Jacky and Jean-Phillipe seem to draw more inspiration from Burgundy than from their eminent neighbours.

This inspiration can be seen in the single-vineyard, terroir approach to many of their wines, as well as the organically-informed viticulture. The Blots buy barrels from three coopers, all Burgundian. They have even been exchanging ideas with Coche-Dury, including ways to reduce the impact of reduction.

No surprise, then, that La Taille Aux Loups also owns its very own clos, Clos de Mosny.

Purchased in 2011, this monopole is a walled and gated vineyard in Montlouis-Sur-Loire, said to be the largest in the Loire. This makes it too big for the walls to have any real effect on ripening by retaining or reflecting heat (unlike some of the smaller grand cru clos seen in Burgundy), however it does occupy a favourable site and so produces some of the domaine’s best fruit.

Although the majority of its whites come under the Montlouis-Sur-Loire appellation, two wines are made from grapes grown in the Vouvray appellation.

The Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité (INAO) had originally given indefinite permission to vinify these wines in Montlouis back in 1999, shortly after Jacky Blot purchased the parcels, but an appellation law change a decade later led to him being unable to use the Vouvray title unless he agreed to vinify them within the appellation borders.

Instead, he chose to relabel them as Vin de France and continue vinifying them in Montlouis. Considering the significant capital investment required for building a new winery, the wines are likely to remain VdFs for a long time yet, but the good news is that the wines remain excellent.

Winemaking

The red grapes from Domaine de la Butte are totally destemmed, and both red and white grapes are thoroughly sorted on tables to ensure only the best grapes are used. From here they are passed down into the cellar by gravity. The cool cellars, a cavernous ex-troglodyte dwelling carved out of the chalk bedrock, are large enough to store hundreds of oak barrels, in which all the wines spend time. The oak, however, is there to provide structure and texture rather than overt vanilla flavours.

The viticulture has developed over the last decade in response to vintage conditions. 2009 was a particularly hot year that made the team adjust its approach in order to avoid the ‘fat’ wines which were the product of the infamous European drought of 2003. Changes have included increasing harvesting machines from 40 to 120 to enable a speedy harvest at the perfect moment, while stylistically the wines have become less extracted and less reductive.

At one point, helicopters were used during the winter months to churn up the air and prevent frost, however this expensive and intermittent method has now been replaced by large fans which draw in the cold air and blast it upwards. Despite these measures, the domaine has lost half of its 2021 harvest to early April frosts, badly affected like many other producers across France.

Jacky and Jean-Philippe commented on the upward trend in temperature, which brings new challenges in the vineyard and winery. ‘We’ve seen average annual temperatures rise by 1.4˚C in the last 30 years, and most of that in the last decade,’ said Jacky. ‘When we started in 1988 it was difficult to ripen the fruit. The challenge today is to preserve tension in the wines. Pre-2006, we used to pick the same quantity of fruit every day during harvest. But then by the end we had overripe fruit. So we adjusted our way of working so that we were picking all our fruit at the same ripeness level.’

The 2019 vintage

All this experience has gone a long way in aiding the 2019 effort. A spring frost at the beginning of the season was compounded by drought conditions from June to September – just 8mm of rain by the end of August, although Jean-Philippe states that he would have preferred 50mm! By way of comparison, there was 70mm of rain in September alone in 2003.

The heatwave saw temperatures peak at 43°C, and the Blots were worried that they wouldn’t have anything to harvest. Thankfully the older vines that make up the majority of the Blot’s vineyards, with their deep roots, were able to draw just enough water from the soils. The yield for the whites was 36hl/ha, but just 22hl/ha for the reds. The 2019 harvest for La Taille aux Loups and Domaine de la Butte lasted from 12 September to 4 October. ‘2019 has the energy of a cold vintage, and the concentration of a warm vintage,’ says Jean-Philippe.

Tasting the 2019s along with some older vintages demonstrated just how vital and alive the wines are, particularly the dry whites. These wines will age very well indeed but it’s hard to see why you wouldn’t open a bottle today.

Wines are imported to the UK by Justerini & Brooks.

Reds and whites by Jacky Blot: Domaine de la Taille aux Loups & Domaine de la Butte:

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Loire reds have probably benefited most from the remarkable succession of good vintages since 2014 as ripeness is particularly important for red wines.

Like the whites, 2020 was also an early vintage for the reds with flowering starting in May.

Overall yields are normal, except for producers with a poor fruit set in some appellations and for some varieties.  

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 31 new-release Loire reds

Unfortunately, due to the Covid pandemic, I have been unable to make my usual trips to the Loire to taste wines that are still maturing, so I have had few opportunities to taste the more structured reds that will not be bottled until later this year or sometime in 2022.  

Concentrated fruit

The 2020 reds are deep coloured, with ripe, concentrated fruit. As with the whites the high temperatures in September meant that potential alcohol levels rose quickly, so it was important that the grapes were picked before they became over-ripe. 

This is particularly important for Pinot Noir, as some wines that I have recently tasted have been so powerful and concentrated that they lack the delicacy and finesse associated with good Pinot Noir.

The 2019 domaine Sancerre from Vincent Pinard shows that is possible to have ripe fruit, sufficient concentration as well as finesse and delicacy. It’s a challenge to find the optimum picking window.

Top Loire red producers in 2020:

• Yannick  Amirault (Bourgueil/ Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil)
• Domaine de la Noblaie, Domaine Vincent Pinard (Sancerre)
• Domaine des Pothiers (Côte Roannaise)

As in 2019, heat spikes that frazzle exposed bunches of grapes are a recent challenge. De-leafing has been popular to help grapes to ripen but heat spikes mean that this practice has to be adapted, especially for bunches exposed to the afternoon sun.

Great ageing potential

The 2020 reds should age well with the best wines drinking well for at least 20 years as Jean-Pierre Chevalier (Château de Villeneuve, Saumur Champigny suggests: ‘With a particularly scorching summer and a dry and hot month of September, nature did not spare the zenitude of the wine-grower, but she knew how to reward us with a beautiful vintage of exceptional precocity, giving us grapes full of sugar with good balance and good acidity – everything you need to make great wines for cellaring.’

Florent Pinard (Domaine Vincent Pinard, Sancerre) recalls: ‘We harvested the 2020 vintage on 28 August. This is the first time in the history of the estate that we have picked in August, and we were finished by 11 September. We have thus managed to keep a nice freshness for the vintage and achieved around 14˚C on the whites and reds. 

‘It’s a gourmet and very fine vintage!’ He continues. ‘Yields are normal for the whites (at around 50hl/ha), but some reds had poor setting during flowering and were then grilled by the sun, so we have very low yields for the reds.’

Loire vintages at a glance

2020: Fortunately frost free, a successful and very early vintage across the Loire for both red and white. (5/5)

2019: Another frost affected vintage, especially to the west of Tours, due to a frost very early in April. Despite hot, dry conditions, some beautifully balanced wines were made. (5/5)

2018: Hailed as a great vintage, giving both quality and quantity – above average yields. Certainly some lovely wines, especially reds and sweet whites, but high levels of alcohol were a problem in some wines. (4/5)

2017: A second year hit with a series of April frosts, but not quite as devastating as 2016. Wines have excellent balance and finesse. (4/5)

2016: Badly frost-affected year with a series of April frosts reducing many producers’ harvest to 20% or less of normal. Once again Sancerre was spared. Good quality for the crop that remained. (4/5)

Looking ahead, 2021 – with its cold spring, succession of spring frosts and devastating local hailstorms – may see the end of this series of good vintages. Let’s hope not!

31 new-release Loire red wines

In A-Z appellation order

Anjou

89 Domaine des Rochelles L’Ardoise Anjou 2020

89 Château Pierre-Bise Schistes Anjou-Villages 2020

91 Domaine des Rochelles Breton Anjou-Villages Brissac 2019

Bourgueil

98 Jacky & Jean-Philippe Blot, Domaine de la Butte Perrières Bourgueil 2019

93 Domaine Yannick Amirault Le Grand Clos Bourgueil 2019

91 Jacky & Jean-Philippe Blot, Domaine de la Butte Le Haut de la Butte Bourgueil 2019

Chinon

94 Domaine de la Noblaie Les Blancs Manteaux Chinon 2019

93 Domaine de la Noblaie Les Chiens Chiens Chinon 2019

89 Nicolas Grosbois La Cuisine de ma mère Chinon 2019

Domaine de la Noblaie Le Temps des cerise Chinon 2020

Côte Roannaise

92 Domaine des Pothiers Côte Roannaise 2020

Côteaux du Giennois

86 Clément & Florian Berthier Coteaux du Giennois 2019

IGP Côtes de la Charité

91 Alphonse Mellot Les Pénitents IGP Côtes de la Charité 2019

IGP Val de Loire Vendée

92 Les Vignobles Mourat Grenouilles IGP Val de Loire Vendée 2019

Reuilly

91 Matthieu & Renaud Mabillot Reuilly 2020

Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

89 Gérard Vallée, Domaine de la Cotelleraie Pigeur Fou Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil 2020

87 Gérard Vallée, Domaine de la Cotelleraie Domaine de la Cotelleraie Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil 2019

Saint-Pourçain

88 Les Vignerons de Saint-Pourçain La Ficelle de Saint-Pourçain 2020

Sancerre

94 Vincent Pinard Vincent Pinard Pinot Noir Sancerre 2019

92 André Dezat & Fils, Les Celliers Saint Romble Les Celliers Saint Romble Sancerre 2019

86 Clément & Florian Berthier Sancerre 2019

Saumur

87 Domaine de la Bonnelière Gourmandine Saumur 2020

Saumur-Champigny

91 Château de Targé Le Pavillon Saumur-Champigny 2019

90 Château de Targé Saumur-Champigny 2019

90 Château de Villeneuve Château de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny 2019

89 Château du Hureau, Philippe Vatan Tuffe Saumur-Champigny 2019

Touraine

88 Jean-François Merieau Le Bois Jacou Touraine 2020

87 Cellier de Beaujardin Domaine des 7 Lieues Touraine 2020

Valençay

90 Bertrand Minchin Le Claux Delorme Valençay 2020

85 Nathalie Lafond, Domaine Claude Lafond Nathalie Valençay 2020

Vin de France

93 Bonnet-Huteau Ordolia Vin de France 2019

Loire reds: 31 great buys from the 2019 & 2020 vintages

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