Savennières
Styles
Principal grape varieties
Terroir
Natural factors
- Bedrock of schists and schistose sandstones (Upper Ordovician to Lower Devonian), with rhyolite and spilite volcanic dykes
- Foehn effect from the Mauges massif: rainfall ~650 mm/year versus >800 mm on neighbouring hills
- The Loire moderates night-time temperatures and encourages morning mists favourable to noble rot
- The appellation covers 3 communes (Bouchemaine, La Possonnière, Savennières), on the right bank of the Loire, ~15 km from Angers
Human factors
- From the 12th century onwards, the monks of Saint-Nicolas d'Angers and then the Benedictine nuns of the Prieuré shaped the vineyard; in the 15th century René I described a plot as a 'goutte d'or'.
- Chenin B established itself as the preferred variety despite trials with other cultivars, including the verdelho from Madeira grown at the Coulée de Serrant.
Product characteristics
- Appearance: pale yellow to golden; nose: floral (acacia, lime blossom), fruity (pear, quince, honey) with minerality; finish: fresh and lightly bitter.
- Predominantly dry wines that open up after several years; reaching maturity at 5 years and capable of ageing up to 15.
Terroir / wine link
- Low-fertility, free-draining schist soils demand selective harvesting even for dry wines, expressing the full richness of chenin. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.
Sources
- Product specification (BO Agri, PDF), JORF 22 janvier 2024
- Official INAO text (show_texte)
- INAO product entry
- Official trade body site — InterLoire