If many wines from the Loire Valley have been held back in the past, there are today, some conscientious growers focusing their efforts to maximise flavour and minimise the likelihood of mildew and the rot. These producers, motivated by quality rather than quantity, often go through the same vineyard several times to pick only those grapes at optimum ripeness each time rather than relying on a single scalping by machine. Not to mention the use of oak which has played a crucial role in this transformation.
All this work put together allows them to produce some dry Chenins of enormous sophistication and depth thanks to the extra layers of flavour and richer texture resulting from the stint in 400litre oak barrels.
If and when wine drinkers tire of the massive alcohol levels and extreme concentration of so many wines, made to hotter climes today, the Loire should be well placed to take advantage of this trend.
These wines are so different from what has been the fashionable norm. However, Sauvignon blanc used for Sancerre and Pouilly fumé is by no means as important to the Loire Valley as Chenin Blanc is.
As Bernard Germain underlines: “Chenin Blanc can make the best wines in the world[…] but too few people know about great Chenin Blanc..”
18-19 mars 2006
“Jancis Robinson on wine”