Coteaux du Vendômois

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The Loir winds through six tight meanders that, as the crow flies over a distance of roughly twelve kilometres, actually trace a course of more than 25 kilometres.
• The vineyard has been carved into Upper Cretaceous plateaux whose elevation ranges between 110 and 140 metres, with an average vertical drop of 50 metres that sometimes forms steep slopes.
• The foothill villages frequently feature cave dwellings or cavities left by the quarrying of tuffeau, used for the ageing of wines.
• The degraded oceanic climate sits at the crossroads of oceanic and continental influences, with the Loir acting as a thermal regulator, as do the perpendicular valleys that drain cold air down from the slopes.
• Annual rainfall is around 680 millimetres, with relatively limited temperature ranges across the geographical zone.

• Producers in the Loir valley specialised in Chenin and Pineau d'Aunis after the phylloxera crisis, whereas Jules Guyot had listed in 1876 Pineau blanc, Sémillon, Surin, Auvernat noir, Meunier and Côt.
• The appellation was first classified as an appellation d'origine vin délimité de qualité supérieure in 1968, then recognised as an appellation d'origine contrôlée in 2001.
• The gris wines, the appellation's emblematic production, account for nearly half of total volumes, ahead of red wines (around 35%) and white wines (15%).

• The white wines often display a pale gold colour and aromas of honey and linden blossom that generally contribute to a refined and complex aromatic range, with an appealing balance on the palate and very good length.
• The gris wines, produced solely from Pineau d'Aunis by direct pressing, represent both the appellation's leading production and its hallmark, with a pale robe showing frequent salmon highlights and a nose generally dominated by the peppery character imparted by the grape variety.
• The red wines offer a generally complex aromatic range in which spiced notes, pepper in particular, most often predominate alongside red-fruit aromas.

• Located at the climatic limit for growing the late-ripening varieties Chenin and Pineau d'Aunis, the geographical zone presents privileged natural situations that translate, in the wines, into an original aromatic expression and a remarkable balance.
• The slopes reinforced by tuffeau chalk and hollowed out with numerous cellars, historically used for winemaking and storage, have been a contributing factor in revealing the aromatic potential of the wines.

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 24 octobre 2011, JORF 26 octobre 2011
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — InterLoire