Savennières

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical zone is characterised by south- to south-east-facing slopes extending 500 to 1,500 metres in width and approximately 6 kilometres along the Loire.
• The geological substratum consists of schists and schistose-sandstone formations from the Upper Ordovician to the Lower Devonian, locally cut through by volcanic dykes of rhyolite and spilite.
• Quaternary aeolian sands have been deposited at the edge of the plateau in layers of varying thickness, while on the slopes the bedrock is most often very close to the surface.
• The oceanic climate is tempered by the Mauges massif to the west of the vineyard, which produces a foehn effect, with a mean annual rainfall of 650 millimetres compared with more than 800 millimetres on the Mauges hills.
• The Loire moderates temperatures on the nearby slopes, which lie beneath the prevailing winds, maintaining elevated night-time temperatures and encouraging the formation of the morning mists that are essential to the development of noble rot during harvest.

• Around 1130, the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Nicolas d'Angers planted a slope overlooking the Loire that would give its name to the lieu-dit La Roche aux Moines.
• The decree of 8 December 1952 recognising the AOC primarily defined wines with residual fermentable sugars, before evolving towards a definition of dry wines while retaining the possibility of producing wines with fermentable sugars.

• The wines display a pale yellow to golden yellow colour, and are mostly dry but may sometimes show fermentable sugars.
• The nose combines floral notes such as acacia and linden blossom with fruity notes of pear, peach, quince, toasted almond, raisin, and honey, complemented by a touch of minerality.
• The attack on the palate is broad and rich, and the finish blends freshness, minerality, and a hint of bitterness that bring harmony and balance.
• These wines come fully into their own after several years in bottle, reaching their peak around five years and capable of ageing for up to fifteen years.
• Wines displaying fermentable sugars have a remarkable capacity for ageing.

• When late-harvest climatic conditions are favourable — thanks to the Loire's temperature-regulating role, to the winds channelled by the river that mechanically promote berry desiccation, or to the presence of morning mists — moelleux or doux wines are produced from berries concentrated by passerillage on the vine or affected by noble rot.

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 12 janvier 2024, JORF 22 janvier 2024
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — InterLoire