Red Loire Wines
Red wines from the Loire: Cabernet Franc from Saumur-Champigny, Pinot Noir from Sancerre and a red from Touraine.
What defines red Loire
The Loire is a white-wine river for most of its length, but two of its reds have a clear identity. In the west, around Saumur, Cabernet Franc grows on tuffeau, the soft white limestone of the region, and gives Saumur-Champigny: red fruit, a graphite and herbal edge, fresh acidity and fine tannin. Two hundred kilometres upstream, Sancerre makes a red from Pinot Noir on limestone and flint, lighter in colour and close in spirit to red Burgundy. Touraine, between the two, adds a range of lighter reds.
How to choose
Thierry Germain's Domaine des Roches Neuves, farmed biodynamically, covers the full range of Saumur-Champigny, from Roche to parcel cuvées such as La Marginale, Les Mémoires, Outre Terre, Clos de l'Échelier and the ungrafted Franc de Pied. Jeanne Germain's Bavardages and La Foulée are lighter and crunchy. In Sancerre, Vincent Pinard's Charlouise and Vendanges Entières show how seriously Pinot Noir can be taken there. Vincent Ricard's Le Vilain P'tit Rouge is the Touraine entry point.
How long to keep and how to serve
Our cellar notes give 2 to 8 years for most of these reds, with the top Roches Neuves cuvées and Pinard's Sancerre reds going on for 10 to 20 years. Serve at 16 to 18 °C. They suit charcuterie, roast poultry, pork, and goat cheese from the Loire itself.
For a single introduction to both ends of the river, ask the concierge about our six-bottle Loire selection, which pairs Saumur and Sancerre side by side.