![]() Late-season noble rot made a range of fine sweet wines possible this year, too.Ī mild late winter was followed by a long cold spell in April and May with a least five episodes of frost between April 4th and May 6th. 2020 is an excellent vintage throughout the Loire valley for both dry whites and reds: the wines have concentration, freshness and poise. Harvest began in mid-August for Crémant wines, while for most wines it began after some welcome rains at the end of the month, in fine September weather. June was disappointing, with hail affecting Reuilly, Menetou-Salon and Chateaumeillant July began cool, but turned very warm August was hot. Late April and May remained very warm, with flowering in early May (two weeks ahead of the ten-year average). March and April were alternately warm and cool, with budbreak around April 5th, eight days in advance of the ten-year average. ![]() Winter 2019-20 was the warmest ever recorded in the Loire valley, with periods of intense rain that left soils fully replenished. The intensity and vivacity of the best white wines puts them a notch above the supple, fruity red wines. Fine September and October weather helped salvage the harvest. There was another warm spell in mid-August but the rest of the month remained cool and challenging. Flowering went well during a brief interlude of warmth in June, but June and July were otherwise cold and wet, and mildew caused further damage. In the Nantes region and in parts of Anjou, losses of 70% to 90% were common, but all regions (including Sancerre, often protected from frosts by its steep slopes) were affected. While not typically exported in large amounts, they are well-made and attract a loyal French following.The weather pattern of the 2021 season in the Loire Valley reflected that of other northern French regions – though the frost problems of early April (and, in parts of the Loire, mid-April and early May too) were even more crippling here than elsewhere. Flint (silex) soils close to the village produce particularly perfumed and age-worthy wines.Ībout ten percent of the wines claiming the Sancerre appellation name are fresh and light red wines made from Pinot noir and to a lesser extent, rosés. Moving closer to the actual town of Sancerre, soils are gravel and limestone, producing especially delicate wines. In the western part of the appellation, clay and limestone soils with Kimmeridgean marne, especially in Chavignol, produce powerful wines. ![]() While the region claims a continental climate, noted for short, hot summers and long, cold winters, variations in topography-rolling hills and steep slopes from about 600 to 1,300 feet in elevation-with great soil variations, contribute the variations in character in Sancerre Sauvignon blancs. Its enormous popularity in 1970s French bistros led to its success as the go-to restaurant white around the globe in the 1980s. Marked by its charming hilltop village in the easternmost territory of the Loire, Sancerre is famous for its racy, vivacious, citrus-dominant Sauvignon blanc. Whereas the latter two villages tend to produce Sancerre of ample fruit, clear varietal typicity, and intense concentration, Sainte-Gemme’s wines are a bit more feistily mineral-driven, a bit more marked by earth-it is perhaps no accident that Sainte-Gemme is the closest village to Chablis in terms of physical proximity. ![]() In terms of terroir, the micro-climate of Sainte-Gemme is a far cry from Bué and Chavignol. The entire property is farmed organically, and Cyril is converting gradually to biodynamics (with certification in place for 2018) employs only spontaneous fermentations and the wines are not rushed into bottle, instead spending much of those warm spring and summer “selling months” being nourished by their fine lees. In an appellation in which it is so easy-and, perhaps, tempting-to produce wine with a minimum of effort and rely on its famous name to sell it, Cyril’s restless pursuit of his terroir’s deepest possible expression is admirable. ![]() In fact, Cyril is a nephew of the legendary Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée Conti (his mother Marie-Helène is Aubert’s sister), so perhaps that visionary spirit runs in his bloodstream. Back in 1971, the ambitious Philippe de Benoist purchased the stunning 17th-century Chateau du Nozay and began planting vines around the property, and today his son Cyril runs the operation with boundless enthusiasm and effusive intelligence. The fifteen-hectare Domaine du Nozay lies at the northernmost extreme of the appellation-a contiguous and steep bowl of vineyards just outside the town of Sainte-Gemme-en-Sancerrois. ![]()
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