Coteaux de Saumur

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical area covers 17 communes in Maine-et-Loire, 2 in Deux-Sèvres, and 9 in Vienne, bounded to the north by the Loire and traversed by the valley of the Thouet and its tributary the Dive.
• This hydrographic network has shaped a succession of hillsides with varied aspects, their altitude ranging from 40 to 110 metres.
• The soils have developed on Turonian formations, comprising rendzinas and more or less deep calcareous brown soils, sometimes capped on the upper slopes by sands and clays derived from more recent formations such as the Senonian or the Eocene.
• The climate of the Saumurois is oceanic, tempered by a foehn effect caused by the Mauges massif to the west of the vineyard, with a mean annual rainfall of 600 millimetres compared with more than 800 millimetres on the Mauges hills.
• The vineyard lies on a Cretaceous cuesta at the south-western edge of the Paris Basin, planted on calcareous tuffeau soils. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Viticulture in the Saumur area is documented from the ninth century and developed most significantly in the sixteenth century with the arrival of Dutch brokers attracted by the suitability of these wines for sea transport.
• The harvest of Chenin has traditionally been carried out at advanced ripeness, extending to over-ripeness, as Count Odart already described in 1845, referring to a harvest close to All Saints' Day.

• The wines of Coteaux de Saumur are characterised by their finesse, often combining subtle aromas of white flowers with fresh or candied fruit.
• On the palate they unite elegance and complexity, balancing freshness with suavity, with a well-structured framework that often reveals notes of beeswax and honey with age.

• The combination of a relatively warm and dry climate with well-drained calcareous and chalky soils has allowed Chenin to establish itself on the best-exposed hillsides.
• The topography of the hillsides ensures good ventilation of the grape bunches, thereby promoting concentration on the vine and the development of noble rot.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 5 décembre 2025, JORF 20 décembre 2025
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — InterLoire