1. Wines of the Loire Valley Mike Wassenberg American Wine Society April 1, 2016

2. The Loire Valley in France  The 3 rd largest French wine-growing region: – 1 st producer of white AOC wines – 1 st AOC region of Fines Bulles wines (non-Champagne) – 2 nd producer of rosé AOC wines – 175, 000 acres of vineyards – Average production of 400 Million Liters per year – 68 appellations – 7,000 Vineyard Operations Chateau Samur

3. The Loire Valley Regions

4. Loire Valley Terroir Most diversified and some of the oldest vineyards in France with 4 wine growing areas Nantes – near Atlantic Anjou Saumur/Touraine Centre (near Central Massif) A climate influenced by the Loire River Nantes and Anjou - temperate climate because of Ocean influence Touraine and Centre – Continental influence Loire Valley Geology Nantes area: volcanic rock of the Armorican Massif, gneiss, granite Anjou area: schist, chalk limestone. Saumur and Touraine area: Tuffeau limestone, chalk-clay soils, sand and gravel. Centre area: flint-clay soils. Loire near Delta Chateau Chambord

5. Loire Valley Wines Loire Valley wine types Vin de Pays (VDP): is produced generically for the whole area of Loire Valley over 13 departments and is known as ‘Vin de Pays Jardin de France Dry White: Muscadet, Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre, Touraine Sauvignon. Medium Dry White: Anjou Blanc, Touraine, Vouvray. Sweet White: Anjou, Coteaux du Layon. Sparkling White: Montlouis, Saumur, Touraine, Vouvray. Rose: Cabernet d’Anjou, Rose d’Anjou. Red: Anjou, Bourgueil, Chinon, Touraine. Loire Valley – key wines Nantais: Muscadet, Muscadet de Sevre-et-maine, Sur Lie. Anjou-Saumur: Anjou Rose, Cabernet Anjou, Coteaux du Layon, Savennieres, Saumur, Saumur-Champigny (CF, G Touraine:, Reds of Cab Franc or Gamay: Chinon, Bourgueil, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Whites (Chenin Blanc) Vouvray. Central Vineyards: Finest white wines on SB: Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, Menetou-Salon. VDP: VDP du Jardin de la France. Chateau Chenonceau Chateau Bois

6. Pairing with Loire Wines Chateau Amboise  Dry white wines: – Seafood, shellfish, fish from the Loire – Fresh or aged goat cheese – Grilled poultry or with sauce, rillettes  Sweet white wines: – Foie gras, roasted white meat or with sauce – Exotic or Mediterranean dishes – Blue cheese – Desserts with fruits: rhubarb gratin...  Red wines: – Roasted red meats, grilled poultry or meat, game – Light cheese  Rosé wines: – Rosé and Cabernet d’Anjou: exotic dishes, Thai cuisine, barbecue, desserts with red berries and currants – Dry Rosé: tabbouleh, poultry, barbecue  Fines bulles wines: – Aperitifs, seafood, strawberries, desserts Chateau Cheverney

7. Loire White Wine Grapes Melon de BourgogneFolle BlancheSauvignon blancPinot Gris Muscadet Gros Plant du Pays Nantais Coteaux du Giennois Coteaux d’Ancenis Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire Menetou-Salon Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Pouilly-Fumé Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine Quincy Muscadet sur lie Reuilly Sancerre Touraine Chenin blanc AnjouCoteaux du LoirSavennières Anjou Coteaux de la LoireChaumeTouraine Amboise BonnezeauxFiefs VendéensTouraine Azay-le-Rideau ChinonJasnièresTouraine Mesland Coteaux de l’AubanceMontlouis-sur-LoireVouvray Coteaux de SaumurQuarts de Chaume Coteaux du LayonSaumur

8. Loire Rose/Red Wine Grapes Cabernet FrancGamayPineau d’AunisPinot Noir AnjouAnjou GamayCoteaux du LoirChâteaumeillant Anjou-VillagesChâteaumeillant Coteaux du Giennois Anjou-Villages BrissacCoteaux d’Ancenis Menetou-Salon BourgueilCoteaux du Giennois Reuilly ChinonFiefs Vendéens Sancerre Saint-Nicolas-de-BourgueilTouraine SaumurTouraine Mesland Saumur-ChampignyTouraine Amboise Grolleau Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon GamayPineau d’Aunis Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier Fiefs VendéensBourgueilChâteaumeillantCoteaux du Loir Coteaux du Giennois Touraine Azay-le- Rideau Chinon Coteaux d’Ancenis Menetou-Salon Rosé d’AnjouCabernet d’AnjouTouraine Reuilly Cabernet de Saumur Touraine Amboise Sancerre Rosé de Loire Touraine Mesland Touraine Noble- Joué Saint-Nicolas-de- Bourgueil

9. CRÉMANT DE LOIRE - L de GRENELLE Organic Wine GRAPE VARIETIES: – Chenin, Chardonnay – A.O.C.: Crémant de Loire – Dosage: Brut Appearance: Light golden yellow, flecked with generous, fine and lingering bubbles. The foam is creamy with a persistent ring. Aroma: The fresh, clean bouquet is marked by delicate warm brioche aromas whichh give way to a generous fruit basket including pear and vine peach. Palate: The unctuosity of the foam heralds a fine, extremely delicate touch on the palate. The crystalline, extremely light freshness of the attack contrasts with an ample, vinous and generous finish of gingerbread, brioche and hazelnut. On the mid palate, the taste buds are delicately coated in a wonderfully silky veil. FOOD AND WINE PAIRINGS: A sharing wine par excellence, this delicate fizz is the perfect accompaniment to evenings with friends. It could be served with a crayfish mousseline or a prawn and lime salad, as well as with delicate vanilla and gingerbread desserts.

10. Claude Branger "Les Fils de Gras Mouton" Muscadet – Vintage: 2014 Sèvre et Maine sur lie AC – Varietals: 100% Melon de Bourgogne (white cousin to Gamay). This AC produces more wine than any other in the Loire Valley – Soil: This is wine of the north Atlantic coast, the product of Brittany's great shelf of granite – Winemaking: Harvest by hand, and bottled without fining or filtration. Sur Lie for 7 months before bottling for a very traditionally made wine – Vineyard: Translated to mean "the son of the fat sheep," this delicious Muscadet is made by Claude Branger, a committed grower who farms his 61 acres in the heart of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation with Organic certification in 2016.. Vines average 38 years of age and low yields averaging 50 hectoliters per hectare. – Tasting Notes: This Muscadet is a glorious value for the price. It is dry and fresh, with tangy lemony citrus aromas and flavors, delicate creaminess on the mid-palate, and a minerally finish.

11. Domaine Paul Bussie – Vintage: 2015 Touraine AC. – Varietals: 100% Sauvignon Blanc – Vineyard: At the heart of the Valley of the Kings in Montrichard, pretty medieval city, the Domaine Paul Buisse, extends over 70 hectares of vines. The vineyard covers the hillsides lining the Rivers Loire and Cher. Grown on clay-limestone soils. – Winemaking: – Tasting Notes: This Sauvignon, pale in colour with a green tint, is delicate and fruity and has complex aromas of broom buds and white peaches. Distinguished and delicate in the mouth, it is lively and fresh. – Exotic fruits and peach aromatics lead to a bright yet delicate palate that is fruit forward with balanced acidity and a seamless finish.

12. New EU Designations 2011 PDO Designations France: AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) Italy: DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) Spain: DO (Denominación de Origen) and DOCa (Denominación de Origen Calificada) Portugal: IPR (Indicação de Proveniência Regulamentada) and DOC (Denominacão de Origem Controlada) Germany: QbA (Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete) and 'Prädikatswein' (formerly known as 'QmP' or Qualitätswein mit Prädikat) Austria: Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein, including DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus). Table Wine now obsolete - now Vin de France, etc. PGI Designations France: VDP (Vin de Pays) Italy: IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) Spain: VT (Vino de la Tierra) Portugal: VR (Vinho Regional) Germany: Landwein Austria: Landwein.

13. Huet Vouvray ‘Le Haut Lieu’ 2014 – Varietals: Chenin Blanc – Biodynamic: Certified – Vineyard: The estate’s first vineyard, purchased in 1928. Its nine hectares have the richest soils and, generally, yields the most precocious wines. – Soil: Limestone-rich, clay soils – Viticulture: The vines are farmed using biodynamic methods and harvested by hand. – Vinification: Traditional vinification methods are used and the wines are fermented using natural yeasts. – Aging: the wines are aged in a combination of tank and large, older foudres. – Production: about 2000 cases – Rating: 93+ Wine Advocate – Tasting Notes: A golden yellow color dresses the Le Haut-Lieu Sec, which is still a baby on the nose, showing concentrated, almost tropical fruit flavors (pineapples, lemons) on the clear and fresh nose. Round and fruity on the palate, this medium to full-bodied, very elegant and persistent wine shows ripe and concentrated fruit, a delicately yeasty texture with a very fine grip, and is followed by a long, intense finish packed with minerals and stimulating dashes of lemon juice and limestone minerals. There is an excellent purity of fruit and a structure giving minerality here. Since we know how well also dry Huets can age, I would not touch it before 2020/21, although I am pretty sure the wine will be even better in 15 or 20+ years.

14. Domaine Brochard Aujourd'hui comme Autrefois Sancerre – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: Sauvignon Blanc – Winemaking: Non-Filtered Wine. Traditional in vats without fining, without filtration, without cooling of the wine, without excessive pumping, and bottling on the lees. – Vineyard: Located in the lovely village of Chavignol, owned by the Brochard family since the 16th century, the 60 acre vineyard is spread over the best hills of several villages in the Sancerre region. 40+ year old vines – Soil: Exclusively limestone – Tasting Notes: Exhibit a very fruity character (citrus, peach, apricot, mango) with a solid structure, while remaining absolutely refreshing. Offers flavors of citrus and grapefruit with subtle floral nuances. Balanced with a lively acidity

15. Jocelyne Massicot Pouilly Fume – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: 100% Sauvignon Blanc – Winemaking: – Vineyard: – Tasting Notes: Illustrates its flint origins in a nose of white currant, grapefruit, nettle, sage and dill. Satisfyingly juicy on the palate, with hints of salt, herbs and pungent smokiness garnishing its melon, grapefruit and currants. In its finish, it is persistently pungent and minerally driven.

16. Chateau’s of the Loire Chateau Villandry Chateau Chambord

17. Remy Pannier Rose D’anjou – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: 50% Cabernet Franc, 40% Grolleau, 10% Gamay – Vineyard: Produced from vineyards between Nantes and the Touraine region – Soil: Mixture of tuffeau (chalk) and sand – Winemaking: The yield is approximately 65 hl/ha. Grapes are picked at maturity to obtain natural sugar for this semi-sweet wine. Bunches are pressed immediately to preserve freshness and a bright color. Low temperature fermentation preserves red fruit flavors and aromas. No malolactic fermentation takes place. The wine is stored in stainless steel tanks with temperature control (13°C) until bottling – Tasting Notes: Natalie Maclean 87-dry, delicate rose with aromas of wild field strawberries and cherries, the kind that melt deliciously in your hand from the warmth of your palm. Yes this wine is very dry. Perfect aperitif served slightly chilled or for a treat, pair it with smoked salmon – Winemaker: Rémy Pannier is the Loire Valley's single largest wine producer, accounting for about 15% of all Loire Valley wine production. Since 2002, Remy Pannier has been directly owned by its alliance of grape growers and vineyard owners. – Food Pairings: Pate, salads, cold chicken, grilled chicken or shrimp, seafood soup/stew

18. Domaine Roi des St. Pierres Rose – Vintage: 2014 Sancerre – Varietals: 100% Pinot Noir rosé – Vineyard: The Domaine de St. Pierre lies northwest of the small hilltop town of Sancerre above the Loire River. Average age of the vines are 20-30 years old. Wild grass is allowed to grow amongst their 12 acres of vineyards – Soil: 80% flint; 20% pebbly-chalk ("Caillotes") – Winemaking: Made by direct pressing and vinification similar to Sancerre blanc. Slow fermentation at low temperatures (61-68F) for approximately three weeks. No malolactic fermentation is made. – Tasting Notes: Color is pale pink. Very intense aromas, with notes of fresh fruit raspberry and citrus. Very fleshy, well balanced with a fruity persistent finish. – Winemaker: With 10 generations of winemaking expertise - the estate is now in the trusty hands of brothers Thierry and Bruno Prieur.

19. Raffault Chinon Galuches – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: 100% Cabernet Franc – Winery: J.M. Jean-Maurice Raffault’s famed Chinon estate is now run by his son Rodolphe. The family has been vignerons in Chinon since 1693 and the estate now comprises 40 hectares spread over 6 communes. – Winemaking: The fermentation process can last up to a month and he incorporates a daily pump over for maximum extraction of flavor and color. Then the wines get to rest in Bordeaux casks inside his 54 degree limestone cellar – Vineyard: Raffault prefers to harvest his cabernet Franc as late as possible and then vinifies each parcel separately. – Tasting Notes: Medium intense fresh crushed boysenberries, white pepper, iron. Medium intense mouthwatering flavors of red apple skin, boysenberry, orange pith, chalk dust, iron.

20. Jean-François Merieau ‘Cent Visages’ – Vintage: 2012 Touraine AC. “Cent visages” means “100 faces” – Varietals: 100% Cot (Malbec). – Vineyard: single 50-year-old vineyard in Saint Julien de Chedon grown by Jean-François Merieau. East of Tours on South bank of Cher. – Winemaking: Aged in neutral old French oak for 12 months, it shows a side of Malbec that's quite different than the fruity, oaky ones from Argentina – Tasting Notes: Wine Spectator (90) “Vivacious blackberry and loganberry fruit, with sleek acidity and nicely tangy pepper, tobacco and iron notes checking in on the finish”. A floral edge, with a core of currant, cherry and plum fruit – The Winemaker: Instead of blending his wines, Jean-François produces most of the varietals with which he works in single varietal bottlings, often from a single parcel. This terroir-specific approach allows us to taste singular wines of great expression. He is converting the entire production to organic viticulture.

21. NVA Slides

22. Marcel Martin Cremant de Loire Brut Tete de Cuvee The grapes for this wine, a cuvee of: – 70 percent Chenin Blanc, – 20 percent Chardonnay – 10 percent Cabernet Franc From Anjou and Touraine. Along with lively effervescence, it offers aromas of lemon curd, green apple and floral notes. On the palate, taste pear, more citrus, hints of almonds and toast. Drink it as an aperitif or with smoked salmon, caviar, foie gras, shrimp remoulade, crabmeat dishes, soft, mild cheeses and popcorn.

23. Delhommeau “Harmonie” Muscadet – Vintage: 2014 Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie AC – Varietals: 100% Melon de Bourgogne (white cousin to Gamay). This AC produces more wine than any other in the Loire Valley – Vineyard: Produced from a single 28ha parcel of old vines planted on gabbro (igneous rock equiv of basalt) soils, this should age well for some time. Many of the vines are quite old, producing low yields and very complex wines. – Winemaking: Fermented and aged in tank with indigenous yeast. Michel vinifies only by soil type, separates tanks out by vine age, and keeps volumes quite low – Tasting Notes: the Harmonie is a smack in the face with its sharp, stony minerality. But that component is matched and balanced with rich tropical notes of mango and pineapple. A very nice snap runs through the middle and the zingy sharp finish. – Humble and quite, this young couple are turning out impressively complex bottlings of Muscadet that often smell more like great Chardonnay from Chablis as anything else.

24. Le Peu De La Moriette Pichot Vouvray 2014 – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: Chenin Blanc from 30 year old vines – Oak Type: French Oak – Winemaking: 80% of this wine is made in stainless steel tanks and 20% in 400-litre wooden vats. – Colour: Pale Lemon – Nose: A perfumed nose of ripe pineapple. – Palate: Juicy on the palate with baked apple, spice, anise and hints of honey. The palate is generous and the wine is easy to drink with exceptional length and remarkable precision and balance. – Food Pairing: Poultry and a cream and tarragon sauce. The Winery: he Pichot family is one of the oldest in Vouvray with origins as viticulturists and restaurateurs going back to 1739. Their vineyard holdings are located mostly at the top of the village in the prime “premiere coteau” sites of Le Mont, Haut Lieu and Le Marigny with other holdings scattered throughout the appellation. Harvesting is mostly done by hand and yields are kept low at an average 25 hl/ha. All vineyards are now farmed organically with grasses grown between the rows to reduce the uptake of moisture and vigour to the vine

25. Merlin Cherrier ‘La Chene’ Sancerre – Vintage: 2013 – Varietals: Sauvignon Blanc – Winemaking: The wine is fermented with native yeasts and aged sur lie for 12 to 14 months – Vineyard: Chene Marchand is one of the crown jewel vineyards of Sancerre and is the appellation's outstanding example of Caillottes terroir. If ever Sancerre were to classify its vineyards, Cheene would be a certain candidate for grand cru status. The vineyard grows on the western plateau above Bué where the sun always shines if it is shining anywhere in the neighborhood, and this plateau has supported vines for many a century—possibly as far back as the Roman Occupation. – Soil: a perfect example of the prized caillottes soils of the region--a stony, compact chalk soil without a lot of clay and marl

26. Jean Pabiot Fines Caillottes Pouilly Fume – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: 100% Sauvignon Blanc – Winemaking: After partial skin maceration (depending on the vintages), fermentation in thermoregulated stainless steel tanks takes place (16 - 20°C) with wild yeast naturally found on the grapes. The maturing on fine lees and the stirring of lees lasts several months. The blending is done before the bottling. – Vineyard: 30 distinct parcels spread over 5 communes made from his estate's oldest vines of Les Loges village. limestone covered with small white pebbles (caillottes); marl with fossilized oysters; and flint. The sub soil is clay-limestone. The vines are an average of 43 years of age; the youngest are 41 years of age, the oldest are 65. The Sauvignon Blanc fruit is hand-picked at optimal maturity – Tasting Notes: Fragrant smoky aromas backed up by the zesty and characterful Sauvignon Blanc fruit. Straw-colored with green highlights. The first nose expresses acacia flower and then rapidly reveals fruit: citrus, blood orange, quince and applesauce. A round, fleshy, enticing, and well-balanced palate. Mixed fruit are found: peach, pear, kiwi, mango, with a light acidity up to the finish bringing the ensemble to a peak.

27. Domaine Paul Bussie Sparkling Rose – Vintage: NV Loire Valley – Varietals: This cuvée is made with two grape varieties: 70 % Cabernet Franc and 30% Gamay.. The Gamay grape, very common in the Loire region, covers some 2,500 hectares in the Loir-et-Cher department. It produces wines which naturally contain low levels of alcohol. – Vineyard: Various in the Val Loire – Winemaking: This cuvée is made according to the Méthode Traditionnelle process. Its secondary fermentation on laths and a maturation of 18 months in our troglodyte caves at a natural and constant temperature of 55F – Tasting Notes: Color is delicate salmon. The bubbles are very fine and abundant, and are long-lasting in the flute. Its bouquet is very fruity. Hints of raspberry are noticeable and forecast the explosion of aromas of summer fruit when you taste it

28. Domaine Saint Nicolas Vendeéns – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: 100% Pinot Noir, Vin de Pays, VDQS going for DOC – Vineyard: Pink slate soils near the sea. Schist and silex almost in Muscadet at the very Southern end of Loire Delta about 2km from the Ocean. – Winemaking: aged in large wood tanks for 12 months. – Tasting Notes: Wine Spectator: "Restrained but very pure, with a lovely beam of black cherry and spice carried by a hint of graphite on the racy finish. There's a nice bit of grip” – Dark red garnet color. Spicy nose of roasted fruit with leathery undertones and cloves. Fleshy and full, yet very supple

29. Domaine Grosbois Chinon – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: 100% Cabernet Franc – Winemaking: The young vines for this cabernet franc are certified organic, the wine fermented and aged in stainless steel vats to produce a brisk, zesty red. Matured in vats for 8 months – Vineyard: Nicolas Grosbois operates its 9 hectares of Chinon in biodynamic agriculture – Soil: Sandy clay ( millarge ) right bank in the plains of Cravant- les-Coteaux – Tasting Notes: Wine & Spirits (91). The tannins are as black as wild blueberry skins, a little sandy in texture against the juicy fresh fruit. Serve it with pork rillettes.

30. Domaine Saint Nicolas Vendeéns – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: 100% Pinot Noir, Vin de Pays – Vineyard: Schist and silex a stone’s throw away from the Atlantic, almost in Muscadet. – Winemaking: aged partially in used barrels and partially in tank. Thierry is the prophet of biodynamics in this tiny viticultural area. His vineyards never seen a non-organic product. Thierry raises his own cows simply for the manure they produce which he religiously spreads between the vines. He has slowly purchased buffer zones all around his property to prevent chemical products from other winemakers from seeping into his parcels. For him, biodynamics isn’t a pragmatic consideration, it's a religion. – Tasting Notes: Wine Spectator: "Restrained but very pure, with a lovely beam of black cherry and spice carried by a hint of graphite on the racy finish. There's a nice bit of grip” – Dark red garnet color. Spicy nose of roasted fruit with leathery undertones and cloves. Fleshy and full, yet very supple

31. Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Haut-Lieu – Vintage: 2014 – Varietals: Chenin Blanc – Biodynamic: Certified – Vineyard: The estate’s first vineyard, purchased in 1928. Its nine hectares have the richest soils and, generally, yields the most precocious wines. Orientation: South-facing – Soil: Limestone-rich, clay soils – Viticulture: All grapes harvest by hand, which enables picking by successive tries. each tri being a separate pass by the workers through the vineyard, ensuring only the best bunches of ripest (or even botrytised) grapes. – Vinification: Undergoes temperature-controlled fermentation in large, old oak demi-muids as well as stainless steel vats. There is no encouragement of the malolactic fermentation, thus many Huet wines remain rich in malic acid, a character that brings an age-worthiness to the wines. – residual sugar in demi-sec cuvées is traditionally around 10- 20 g/l Aging: Aged in large demi-muids – Production: 1,000 - 1,500 cases