Savennières Roche aux Moines
Styles
Principal grape varieties
Terroir
Natural factors
- Rocky spur of the Massif armoricain (~35 ha), bordered to the east by the Coulée de Serrant and to the west by the Vallon des Forges. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Soils derived from Upper Ordovician to Lower Devonian schists and schistose sandstones, shallow, stony, with low water-holding capacity. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Rhyolite dykes outcropping at one point on the slope — a hard rock that gave the lieu-dit its name.
- Oceanic climate modulated by a foehn effect off the Mauges hills: rainfall ~600 mm/year, versus >800 mm on the neighbouring hillsides.
- The Loire moderates night-time temperatures and encourages the morning mists that promote botrytis cinerea during the harvest period.
Human factors
- The estate was donated to the monks of Angers around 1130, giving rise to its name, with vines planted from that date. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Harvest of Chenin B at advanced ripeness, with 'at least one quarter botrytised fruit', a practice documented as early as 1861.
Product characteristics
- Pale yellow to golden appearance, floral and fruity nose with minerality, broad and lush palate without heaviness.
- In favourable years, noble rot (botrytis cinerea) yields age-worthy wines with a complex bouquet and a cellaring potential of 10–20 years.
Terroir / wine link
- The stony, skeletal soils of the slope are ideally suited to Chenin B, with yield limited to 30 hl/ha and selective bunch harvesting.
Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.