Orléans-Cléry

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard constitutes the most northerly vineyard of the Loire Valley, situated on the left bank of the Loire downstream from Orléans on an ancient terrace some ten kilometres long.
• The appellation area comprises 5 communes in the Loiret, among them Cléry-Saint-André, which has the highest density of vines.
• The plots are concentrated on ancient sandy-gravelly alluvial deposits at an altitude of around 100 metres, characterised in most cases by their depth and their ability to drain rapidly.
• The climate is of a degraded oceanic type with continental influences, with a mean annual temperature 0.7°C lower than that of the more southerly vineyards of Touraine, for an identical annual sunshine duration.
• Rainfall is well distributed throughout the year, with slight peaks observed in spring and in late autumn.

• The grape variety Cabernet franc, traditionally cultivated along the banks of the Loire, was referred to as 'samoreau', 'samoireau' or 'noir dur' in agricultural manuals from as early as the beginning of the eighteenth century.
• The wines of the Orléanais were recognised in 1951 as a Vin délimité de qualité supérieure appellation d'origine, which in 2001 was split into 'Orléans' and 'Orléans-Cléry', both of which became appellations d'origine contrôlée in 2006.

• The wines display a bright red appearance with fruity or floral aromatic notes often reminiscent of cherry or white flowers, sometimes intermingled with vegetal notes.
• On the palate, the structure of the wines is supple, with a lively attack and a tannic finish that rounds out with time.

• The exclusively gravelly-sandy texture of the ancient alluvial deposits allows deep root penetration, optimal drainage, rapid warming of the soil in spring, and nocturnal release of the heat accumulated during the day.

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 26 octobre 2011, JORF 29 octobre 2011
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — InterLoire