France

Loire Valley

Loire Valley is a wine region in France. A long, cool river valley of crisp whites, dry-to-sweet Chenin, and light reds.

Where it is

Map data: INAO (Licence Ouverte 2.0); Natural Earth

Anjou
A broad Loire region whose whites run the full range from bone-dry to sweet, alongside sparkling wine.
Chinon
A Loire appellation on the Vienne river, known for fragrant, medium-bodied reds and a little dry white.
Muscadet
The Loire's Atlantic mouth, cool and maritime, with a tradition of aging the wine on its lees.
Pouilly-Fumé
A Loire appellation facing Sancerre across the river, producing dry white wine on varied soils that include flint.
Saumur
A Loire town built on soft limestone, whose cellars are cut into the rock and used for sparkling wine.
Vouvray
Chenin Blanc ranges from taut and dry to richly sweet, with high acidity helping even dessert wines stay balanced.
Anjou-Saumur
The middle Loire around Angers and Saumur, shifting from schist-rich Anjou to limestone-dominant Saumur.
Auvergne
Volcanic slopes around Clermont-Ferrand, along the Limagne basin and Chaîne des Puys.

BIOTTEAU
An Anjou grower in the Loire Valley whose family has run Château d'Avrillé since his grandfather founded it in 1938.
Cave des Vins de Sancerre
The only cooperative in the Sancerre appellation, founded by local growers in 1963 and selling wines under labels such as Comte de la Chevalière.
Domaine Alphonse Mellot
A Sancerre family domaine whose roots in the village go back to the 1500s, farmed biodynamically and centered on its La Moussière vineyard.
Domaine Brazilier
In the Loire’s Coteaux du Vendômois, seven generations of the Brazilier family have worked with Pineau d’Aunis, a local red grape known for peppery wines.
Domaine Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy
In Maimbray, a Sancerre hamlet, Pascal and Nicolas Reverdy grow Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir on the Loire’s clay and limestone slopes.
Domaine Vacheron
A Sancerre domaine certified biodynamic since 2005, with each vineyard parcel vinified separately instead of blended together.
Domaine des Hauts Baigneux
Domaine des Hauts Baigneux is a Touraine estate above the Indre valley that grows its grapes organically, including on clay and flint soils.
Lucien Crochet
A Bué estate in Sancerre with site-specific Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, including Chêne Marchand and La Croix du Roy.
Paul Prieur & Fils
A Sancerre family estate in Verdigny that began bottling its own wine in 1946 instead of selling it in bulk to merchants.

Reviewed by Gina Biernacki, Certified Sommelier, WSET Level 3 with Distinction.