Montlouis-sur-Loire

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard lies on a calcareous plateau forming a triangle, bounded to the north and south by the valleys of the Loire and the Cher, and to the east by the Amboise forest massif.
• The altitude at which the vineyard is established ranges from approximately 55 to 100 metres, with a fairly pronounced relief forming a viticultural hillside cut by dry valleys to the south-east.
• To the west and north, the viticultural plateau ends abruptly in a cliff some thirty metres high, carved here and there by small dry combes.
• The plateau is underpinned by the chalky formations of the Turonian (micaceous chalk, yellow tuffeau) and the Senonian (Villedieu chalk, outcropping along the Cher valley).
• The plots rest on soils that are predominantly clay-siliceous in composition, occasionally calcareous-clay, with a frequently sandy textural character derived from sandy deposits overlying the upper slopes.
• The climate is a degraded oceanic type, at the crossroads of oceanic and continental influences, moderated thermally by the Loire, with sometimes excellent autumnal and late-season conditions.

• The tuffeau, the soft chalky material forming the first strata of the plateau, was excavated into vast underground quarries from the Roman period through to the twentieth century, later repurposed as cellars for vinification, sparkling wine production, ageing, and storage.
• From the fourteenth to the nineteenth century, the vineyard produced white wines sold under the name "Vouvray", which then denoted the finest white wines of the Tours region, before the winegrowers of Lussault-sur-Loire, Montlouis-sur-Loire, and Saint-Martin-le-Beau obtained recognition in 1938 as an appellation d'origine contrôlée under the name "Montlouis".

• The still dry wines reveal fruity and floral aromas in youth, evolving with age towards mellow notes such as honey.
• When the still wines retain fermentable sugars, their complexity and ageing potential are generally greater, with notes of exotic fruits, dried fruits, roasted almonds, or quince.
• The sparkling wines have a fine, light mousse with notes of white-fleshed fruits or citrus and a brioche nuance that becomes more pronounced over time, while the lightly sparkling wines have more discreet bubbles and a more vinous character.
• The single-fermentation sparkling wines display an elegant, creamy bubble, an opulence linked to the ripeness required for their production, with notes of white flowers and white-fleshed fruits.

• Chenin, a hardy variety whose potential varies considerably according to soil type, is grown here close to its eastern limit of cultivation within the Loire valley.
• The presence of cellars carved into the tuffeau has been a favourable factor in the development of sparkling wine production, which requires large, temperature-stable storage spaces.

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 8 juin 2020 publié au JORF du 11 juin 2020, JORF 11 juin 2020
• Official trade body site — InterLoire