Imagine you board a ship heading westward from Paris. It’s early morning when you depart, so you rest in the quiet belly of the hull. When you awake sometime later and head to deck, the sight that greets you is as shocking as it is magnificent. It’s a lush, green countryside dotted with renaissance castles, UNESCO heritage sights, forests, farms, and vineyards as far as the eye can see. They don’t call it the Garden of France without reason. This is the Loire Valley.
Home to kings, legends, unmatched natural beauty, and a diversity of wines not arguably found elsewhere in France, the Loire Valley is unlike any other wine region on earth. It is home to over 70 appellations, more than 20 grape varieties (many of which are native to the region and internationally renowned), and makes white, rosé and red wines in all major wine styles. It offers everything from fresh, fruit-forward wines to age-worthy vins de garde. Separated into three distinct subregions, it is one of France’s oldest and most revered wine regions. After all, this is the birthplace of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc and the true home of Melon de Bourgogne.
From Nantes to Sancerre, from Kimmeridgian marl to silty soils, the 90+ Cellars Loire Valley portfolio truly has something for everyone. Ready for a wine adventure you’ll remember? On y va !
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
Let’s start all the way on the western fringes of the region, just outside of Nantes. This is the home of Muscadet, a zippy and refreshing white wine made from a local grape variety known colloquially as Melon B (full name: Melon de Bourgogne). A fantastic pairing for oysters and shellfish, 90+ Cellars Lot 170 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine is a great example of the category. Bring it to your next summer seafood feast and you’ll be everyone’s favorite person at the party!
Vouvray
If you haven’t yet tried Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, you’re missing out! Vouvray is one of this grape’s most stunning examples. 90+ Cellars Lot 208 Vourvray is refreshing and bursting with white floral and citrus aromas. This is an ideal wine to pair with some of the Loire Valley’s most famous goat cheeses like Valençay, Bûcherondin, Chabichou de Poitou, and Selles-sur-Cher. Both cheeses and wine alike have a stunning minerality and acidity that will perfectly complement one another and your palate.
Pouilly-Fumé
Did you know? Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre are neighbors! Less than 30 kilometers from each other, they share many common wine characteristics. Yet, the wines from Pouilly-Fumé are often characterized as having a “smoky” or “gunpowder” character, which is why the French word “fumé”, meaning “smoked”, is a part of the name. Pouilly-Fumé is one of my favorite Loire Valley appellations for this reason. 90+ Cellars Lot 171 Pouilly-Fumé offers a complex wine that’s full of citrus, florals, and the aforementioned smoky minerality. This is definitely a show-stopping crowd pleaser!
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc has a long history in the Loire Valley, with winemaking traditions dating back centuries! This rich heritage, combined with modern winemaking techniques, contributes to the high quality and consistency of Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc wines. Showcasing the purity of the Loire Valley, 90+ Cellars Lot 213 Sauvignon Blanc comes from grapes grown in the central vineyards of Touraine, where vines grow in a mixture of clay, limestone, and sand near the banks of the Loire River. This wine is truly something to rave about.
Sancerre
Popularized stateside after American soldiers returned from postings in and around Sancerre during World War II, this appellation is one of the Loire Valley’s most famous and influential. Sancerre can be either white (from Sauvignon Blanc) or red (from Pinot Noir) wine. Either way, its characteristic minerality shines through no matter which grape the producer is using. 90+ Cellars Lot 126 Sancerre is truly a steal for the quality!
While the Loire Valley boasts over 50 other appellations to try, these five are the classics and the perfect place to start if you’re just exploring what the region has to offer. Invite your friends over for a Loire Valley wine and cheese party and they certainly won’t go home disappointed!
To toast to a few new additions, and welcome back some of the classics in our Loire Valley portfolio, we teamed up with Katie Melchior of @frenchwinetutor to help guide us through this iconic wine region. We hope you enjoyed taking this journey with us through the "Garden of France!"