11/25/2023 0 Comments Sancerre wine grape![]() Located on opposite sides of the Loire River in the Central Vineyards, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé enjoy a completely different climate from other Loire appellations, all of which are located further west moving towards the Atlantic. However, the area enjoys longer days with more sun hours, especially during ripening season (August and September). The Loire Valley is located at 47º latitude north, which is very northerly. In general, all of the Loire Valley is considered a cool climate region, yielding very lively wines with high acidity. Central Vineyards, including Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, are located in the triangle. Here, in the very heart of France in the area known as the Central Vineyards are two appellations of worldwide renown producing excellent dry white wines made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. This post is dedicated to the regions located on the eastern side of the Loire Valley. ![]() ![]() As happens in many wine appellations in the world, vineyards are planted on both sides of the river, forming over 60 appellations that craft all styles of wines: whites, rosés, sparkling wines, and dry reds. While not typically exported in large amounts, they are well-made and attract a loyal French following.The Loire River is the longest river in France, extending for about 300 miles from the Massif Central and heading northwest through the Loire Valley to the Atlantic Ocean. Flint (silex) soils close to the village produce particularly perfumed and age-worthy wines.Ībout ten percent of the wines claiming the Sancerre appellation name are fresh and light red wines made from Pinot noir and to a lesser extent, rosés. Moving closer to the actual town of Sancerre, soils are gravel and limestone, producing especially delicate wines. In the western part of the appellation, clay and limestone soils with Kimmeridgean marne, especially in Chavignol, produce powerful wines. While the region claims a continental climate, noted for short, hot summers and long, cold winters, variations in topography-rolling hills and steep slopes from about 600 to 1,300 feet in elevation-with great soil variations, contribute the variations in character in Sancerre Sauvignon blancs. Its enormous popularity in 1970s French bistros led to its success as the go-to restaurant white around the globe in the 1980s. Marked by its charming hilltop village in the easternmost territory of the Loire, Sancerre is famous for its racy, vivacious, citrus-dominant Sauvignon blanc. It is here, in the heart of its historic birthplace, that an exclusive estate-bottled Sancerre wine is made and matured - the only wine which can be sold under the exclusive name Chateau de Sancerre. Today The Chateau de Sancerre is still owned by the Société des Produits Marnier-Lapostolle, also producers of Grand Marnier liqueurs and owners of the Chateau de Bourg Charente. He also set up a private museum in Sancerre and was instrumental in building the reputation of Sancerre wines. It was he who restored the vaults and the spiral staircase which flanked the "Feudal Tower" - the only remaining vestige of the medieval castle. In 1919 it was purchased, along with part of the vineyards, by Louis Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. In 1874, the castle was rebuilt on its old site in the style of Louis XII. The Chateau de Sancerre stands in the heart of the Sancerre vineyards. From the reign of Philippe-Augustus to the reign of Louis XVI, the Kings of France delighted in Sancerre wine - "one of the most exquisite of the Kingdom", as one described it - and a 19th century devoté, Honoré de Balzac, famously paid tribute to the "generous wines" of Sancerre. ![]() The history of the Sancerre vineyards goes back almost a thousand years, for it was in 11th and 12th centuries that monks in the surrounding districts began to cultivate vines.
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