Loire

France · Wine Auction Prices

The Loire Valley follows France's longest river for over 1,000 kilometres from the Massif Central to the Atlantic, encompassing a breadth of terroir, grape varieties, and styles unmatched by any other French region. From west to east, the valley divides into four broad zones: Muscadet near the sea, where Melon de Bourgogne on lees (sur lie) produces crisp, mineral dry whites ideal with seafood; Anjou-Touraine in the centre, home to Chenin Blanc in every conceivable style — bone-dry Savennières, sparkling Crémant, and the ethereal sweet wines of Vouvray, Montlouis, Coteaux du Layon, and Bonnezeaux; the middle Loire's Cabernet Franc heartland in Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur-Champigny; and finally the upper Loire's twin Sauvignon Blanc capitals of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. At auction, the region's most prized lots are Domaine Huet's Vouvray Moelleux cuvées (Clos du Bourg, Le Mont, Le Haut-Lieu), which can age 50–80 years; Clos Rougeard's Saumur-Champigny rouge (Bourg, Les Poyeux) at $300–500 per bottle; and the late Didier Dagueneau's Pouilly-Fumés — Silex and Pur Sang — now managed by his son Louis-Benjamin. François Cotat's Sancerre Grande Côte and Edmond Vatan's Clos la Néore are the region's most sought-after Sauvignon Blancs. Chenin Blanc's extraordinary versatility and longevity — Huet from 1947 is still drinking — makes Loire whites some of auction's best long-term values.