Coteaux du Loir

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical area lies on the boundary of Touraine, Maine, and Anjou, approximately 40 kilometres north of Tours, and extends for some thirty kilometres on either side of the Loir valley.
• The Loir and its tributaries cut into a plateau lying at around 100 metres in altitude, carving deep valleys with a drop of 50 metres, flanked by cliffs oriented mainly east to west.
• Cellars have been hewn into these cliffs, extending 15 to 20 metres underground and sometimes reaching more than 150 metres in length.
• The vineyard parcels, situated on the slopes of the hillsides and plateau edges, feature stony, well-drained soils derived from Turonian tuffeau and Senonian clay-with-flints.
• The degraded oceanic climate sits at the crossroads of oceanic and continental influences, with the Loir acting as a thermal regulator and the valleys draining cold air from the hillsides, yielding approximately 680 millimetres of annual rainfall.

• According to oral tradition, vines may have been planted in the sixth century by Saint Lézin, Bishop of Angers, near Marçon, and monks are said to have introduced Pineau d'Aunis at Chahaignes.
• The Coteaux du Loir appellation d'origine contrôlée was recognised in 1948 for the various wine categories, covering the same geographical area as that defined in 2010.

• The white wines are generally dry, with the term 'sec' mandatory on the label, and often display fruity and floral aromas in their youth.
• The rosé wines have a pale colour with frequently salmon-hued reflections, a generous nose often dominated by a peppery note, and a palate marked by lightness and delicacy.
• The red wines display a ruby colour and a complex aromatic range in which spicy notes, combined with the scents of very ripe red fruits, generally predominate.

• The stony soils of the hillside slopes provide excellent drainage, allowing the vine to function well both hydrologically and physiologically.
• The hillsides, underpinned by chalk tuffeau and riddled with numerous cellars, favour the expression of the wines' ageing potential, which is reflected in the appropriate minimum ageing periods set out in the specifications.

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 22 mars 2022, JORF 29 mars 2022
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — InterLoire