The Wines Of Touraine cont 4

Montlouis
White wines, either dry or sweet, from the left bank of the Loire, opposite the vineyards of Vouvray.
The wine is made from the Pineau de La Loire, and the soil, methods of cultivation and vinification are so similar to the wines made on the other bank that, until 1938, Montlouis was sold as Vouvray.
Wines from this appellation may be dry, demi-sec, fully sweet or liquoreux, semi-sparkling and sparkling.
The still wines are the most interesting, with the fresh, honeysuckle aromas of the Pineau de La Loire, the great finesse of the terroir and the lemon-fruit finish.
They may be drunk soon after the vintage, or kept for several years. Montlouis is an underrated wine, not even popular enough to attract purchases by négociants except to be made into sparkling wine.
Very little is exported, and it is well worth looking out for in France.

Vouvray
Vouvray produces a complete range of white wine from the Chenin Blanc, planted on 1,500 hectares of vineyards on the right bank of the Loire to the east of Tours.
Depending on the weather throughout the vintage and the decision of the vigneron,
Vouvray may be dry (sec), off-dry (demi-sec), sweet (moelleux) and very sweet (liquoreux), as well as semi-sparkling and sparkling.
The soil is a heavy limestone-clay, the tuffeau of Touraine, with some chalk and a gravelly topsoil that is perfect for the Chenin Blanc.
The minimum degree of alcohol is 11%, which gives a firm backbone to the flowery, honeysuckle-scented wine, whose fruit is always balanced by a marked acidity.
The maximum yield of 45 hl/ha is generally exceeded for the less good cuvées that are normally destined for the sparkling wine, but is very much lower, nearer
25 hl/ha, for the sweet, late-harvest wines.
In poor years (1972, 1977) the still wines have an unacceptable amount of acidity when young, and even when mature never have the charm associated with wines from the Loire. In good or great years (1959, 1964,1976, 1981, 1985) the dry wines will be perfectly balanced, with more style and length than even the best Sauvignons, and the late-picked bunches will produce wines with an intensely floral, fresh fruit aroma and honeyed richness of taste that can rival the finest Sauternes. While a dry Vouvray may be drunk young, but can improve over several years, the sweeter wines may last several decades, yet very few domaines are prepared to go to the trouble, expense and risk to produce these wines.
Vouvray Petulant, less sparkling than Vouvray Mousseux is less easy to make successfully. Production is around 10 million bottles.