Rosé d'Anjou

France · AOC · Loire Valley

Styles

Natural factors

A zone straddling 2 major geological units: the Massif armoricain (Precambrian/Palaeozoic basement) to the west and the Paris Basin (Mesozoic/Cenozoic) to the east.
"Anjou noir" (slate schists, west) vs "Anjou blanc" (tuffeau chalk, east): two sharply contrasting soil identities.
88 communes spread across 3 départements: 68 in Maine-et-Loire, 11 in Deux-Sèvres, and 9 in Vienne.
Poor soils with moderate water-holding capacity, derived from varied geological formations, but with good thermal behaviour.
A protective foehn effect: the relief of the Choletais and the Mauges reduces rainfall (~585 mm/year vs ~800 mm in the Choletais).

Human factors

Vineyards documented from the 1st century AD; renown established in the 12th–13th centuries through the kingdom of Henri II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Rosé varieties: cabernet franc, cabernet-sauvignon, grolleau, grolleau gris, gamay, and pineau d'Aunis, yielding lightly coloured, clairet-style wines.

Product characteristics

Rosé d'Anjou: aromas of red fruits, menthol notes, and citrus; a fresh, rounded palate, best served at 8 °C.
Red wines: tannic structure, red-fruit notes, a predominantly light style, best drunk within 3 years of harvest.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.