Loire River Valley

East of Muscadet, and west of the central vineyards, the Loire valley produces a majority of Chenin Blanc.

This grape has such complex acidty, interesting fruit, and complex body that it is very open to a winemakers hand. The Tuffeau or Tufa soil also plays a huge part.

It is produced sparkling in Saumur, where 80% of Loire Cremant comes from.

It is produced fruity, dry, with tons of minerality, around Tours, where it is commonly called Vins de Touraine, Loads of melon and grapefruit with a suggestion of sweetness, these wines are balanced with beautiful acidity and mineral, almost tin quality that cuts through that perceived sugar and leaves you refreshed.

It is also let to be affected with Botrytis in the Coteaux du Layon-Chaumes, where Sélection de Grains Nobles is employed to pick only the berries and bunches affected with the 'noble rot'.

Due to the proximity to the river in Chaumes, the vines will be affected naturally with Botrytis and this will cause the grapes to shrivel and the flavors inside to be concentrated. The harvest will be done in many trips or Trie, each time walking though, and only picking the botritis berries. It may take 6-12 Trie to finish the harvest, with the goal being 90-100% of picked berries having rot used in wine making.

Outside of Chaumes, in the more generic Coteaux du Layon, where botrytis isn't guaranteed, the farmers will employ Passe Raillage, a technique where the vein attaching the bunch of berries to vine is nicked or cut without removing the bunch.

This is done after verasion, and its purpose is to slow or stop the nutrient and water supply to the fruit. The stems and stalks attached to the berries will in turn draw water from the reserves inside the fruit, and serve to rasinate the berries while still on the vine. This isn't a fast process, and these berries may be affected with noble rot, and a Trie harvest picked on them, but in the generic AOC only 50-70% of the fruit will be botrytis affected.