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LOIRE VALLEY<br />
FOCUS<br />
BENOÎT ROCHER TASTING HIS WINES<br />
fresh notes, Cabernet Franc lends character and<br />
subtlety to world-famous appellations such as<br />
Anjou, Bourgueil, Chinon and Saumur-Champigny.<br />
Gamay and Pinot noir are two other Loire<br />
Valley varietal flagships, delivering accessibly<br />
flavoured fruity and floral wines that offer instant<br />
gratification. “Loire reds have everything going<br />
for them”, claims Pierre-Jean Sauvion, chairman<br />
of the communications board of the Loire Valley<br />
marketing association InterLoire and winemaker<br />
at Maison Sauvion. “They are definitely wines<br />
that sit comfortably with today and tomorrow’s<br />
consumers. With relatively low alcohol levels,<br />
they combine elegance, fruitiness and palatability.<br />
The Loire Valley has carved out a reputation<br />
for itself as a region where the wines pair with<br />
a wide variety of foods”. This dynamic approach<br />
to quality has secured Loire reds a place in many<br />
distribution channels, and they sell well in North<br />
America and Europe. So much so that a Loire<br />
Valley wine’s greatest rival may well be a counterpart<br />
from another area in this propitious winegrowing<br />
region, which never ceases to amaze.<br />
ANJOU: WINES FOR ALL TASTES<br />
AND SEASONS<br />
DOMAINE BENOÎT ROCHER<br />
Set in a stunning landscape, the hillsides of<br />
Anjou stretch along the banks of the Loire. The<br />
vineyards bask in a temperate oceanic climate,<br />
with relatively small variations in temperature,<br />
and a subsoil composed of slate, sandstone and<br />
carboniferous schist and volcanic rocks from the<br />
nearby Armorican Massif. Anjou’s variety and<br />
numerous microclimates promote production<br />
of a wide range of wines with quality as their<br />
common trait, from Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon,<br />
Gamay and Grolleau. In a former farm<br />
nestled above the famous Bonnezeaux hill, Benoît<br />
Rocher has been growing vines since 2001 and<br />
since 2018 has 20 hectares of vines certified as<br />
organic. “My red wines are distinctively powerful<br />
yet very rounded”, he explains. “The Cabernet<br />
Franc needs to be harvested when fully ripe or<br />
even slightly overripe. Customers want plea-<br />
12 SPRING 2022 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE
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