Pouilly-sur-Loire

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical area stretches over approximately twenty kilometres along the right bank of the Loire, on the south-eastern edge of the Paris Basin.
• The relief reaches a peak of 270 metres, more than 100 metres above the valley floor, with deep finger-like valleys oriented broadly north-east/south-west, opening onto the lower Loire valley.
• The vineyards are concentrated across seven communes around the hill of Saint-Andelain, which forms the highest point of the geographical area.
• Kimmeridgian marls, locally known as "terres blanches", are found in the central part of the geographical area across the communes of Pouilly-sur-Loire and Saint-Andelain, and represent the most widely distributed viticultural soils.
• Oxfordian limestones have given rise to highly stony soils locally called caillottes, which are very prevalent in the north-east of the geographical area, while the "silex" are more or less clayey residues formed following the powerful erosive phase of the Cretaceous, found mainly on the territory of the commune of Saint-Andelain.
• The degraded oceanic climate of the geographical area records average annual rainfall of 600 millimetres, with the Loire playing a predominant role as a thermal regulator by draining cold air from the perpendicular valleys.

• A court ruling issued in 1923 reserved the name "Pouilly-Fumé" for wines made from the Sauvignon grape variety and the name "Pouilly-sur-Loire" for wines made from the Chasselas grape variety.
• The Sauvignon grape variety is locally called "blanc fumé" because at maturity its berries become covered with a grey bloom, and it became the principal variety of the vineyard at the beginning of the twentieth century.
• In the eighteenth century the vineyard covered 2,000 hectares planted with several grape varieties, namely Melon, Meslier Saint-François, Sauvignon, and Chasselas.
• The vineyard experienced genuine growth thanks to monastic communities, notably the Benedictines of la Charité-sur-Loire, with a parcel named "Loge aux Moines" still bearing witness to this period of expansion.

• The wines of both appellations are dry, still white wines whose colour can range from pale yellow to gold.
• The wines of "Pouilly-sur-Loire" are easy-drinking, clean, and refreshing, with frequent notes of minerality, white flowers, and dried fruit, and a certain roundness.

• The degraded oceanic climate, the shelter from westerly winds, and the proximity of the Loire, which moderates temperatures, give the area excellent climatic conditions for both Sauvignon and Chasselas.

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)
• Official trade body site — BIVC — Vins du Centre-Loire