page_title: Anjou wine
section_title: Major appellations
hierarchical_section_title: Anjou wine / Appellations / Major appellations
caption_attribution_description: English: Two wines from Nicolas Joly, a biodynamic producer of Savennières wine. Left Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 1997 (from the appellation Savennières-Coulée de Serrant), right Clos de la Bergerie 2001 (from the appellation Savennières-Roche aux Moines). The wine in the glass is Clos de la Bergerie 2001.
context_page_description: Anjou wine is produced in the Loire Valley wine region of France near the city of Angers. The wines of region are often grouped together with the wines of nearby Saumur as "Anjou-Saumur". Along with the wines produced further east in Touraine, Anjou-Saumur make what is collectively known as the "Middle Loire"
context_section_description: Anjou AOC - The boundaries of this AOC extend into nearby Saumur, allowing some of the wine produced in that region to be sold under the Anjou AOC label. The basic Anjou Rouge can be produced from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pineau d'Aunis and tend to be medium to full bodied. Basic Anjou Blanc can range in style from dry to sweet and light bodied to full. They must be composed of a minimum 80% Chenin blanc with Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc permitted to fill out the remaining 20% of the blend. According to wine expert Tom Stevenson, both the reds and whites wines have the aging potential of only a few years after vintage.
  Anjou-Villages AOC The boundaries of this red wine only AOC was first delimited in 1986 but did not go into effect until the 1991 harvest. Made entirely from Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon, these wines have an aging potential of 2–6 years after harvest. There are 46 communes in the appellation allowed to produce grapes for this AOC.
  Anjou-Villages Brissac AOC A sub appellation of the Anjou-Villages AOC, the boundaries of this AOC encompassed the vineyards around Brissac-Quincé and nine surrounding villages. Officially recognized in 1998, producers in the region were given an allowance to back date their labels with the new appellation for the previous 1997 & 1996 vintage.
  Cabernet d'Anjou AOC The first rosé wine to be made entirely from Cabernet grapes was in 1905 but for most of the 20th century, this style of rosé took a backseat to the popularity of Rosé d'Anjou made predominantly from Grolleau. Made entirely from Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon, these rosés tend to be drier than Rosé d'Anjou with higher alcohol and potentially more character.
  Rosé d'Anjou AOC Also known as Anjou Rosé AOC, these medium-sweet rosés saw a period of immense popularity in the mid to late 20th century where in the late 1980s they composed nearly 55% of all wine produced in the Anjou district. Since that high point, production has been steadily declining. Made predominantly from Grolleau with small percentages of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Malbec and Pineau d'Aunis permitted, these wines can be sold nouveau with wine experts recommending that they be consumed early soon after release.
  Savennières AOC In the early 20th century, Savennières was known mostly for sweet wine production. As the focus turned towards dry Chenin blanc based wines, the region started to garner attention for mineral intensity and aging potential of the wines. Located along four southeast facing slopes on the right bank of the Loire river, vineyards in Savennières are composed primarily of schist and volcanic soils. Yields are highly restricted to just 20 hectoliters per hectare which tends to produce more concentrated fruit. In recent years, the wines of Savennières have received much praise and recognition for their quality by various wine experts such as Jacqueline Friedrich who describes the intense flavors and layers of minerality as "the most cerebral wine in the world" and Karen MacNeil who describes the wines as "..possibly the great dry Chenin blanc in the world."
  Savennières Coulée-de-Serrant AOC A 17 acres (7 hectare) sub appellation of Savennières, this AOC encompasses one single vineyard that is a monopole owned by Nicolas Joly.
  Savennières Roche-Aux-Moines AOC A 42-acre (17 hectare) sub appellation of Savennières, this AOC encompasses a single vineyard that is partially owned by 3 wine estates-Château de la Roche-aux-Moines (owned by Nicolas Joly), Château de Chamboureau and Domaine-aux-Moines.
caption: Savennières wine from producer Nicolas Joly. The bottle on the left is from the sub-appellation AOC of Savennières Coulée-de-Serrant.
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