Between the Loire and the Cher
Upstream of Tours, on the left bank, Montlouis occupies the interfluve between the Loire and the Cher, across three communes. Like Vouvray, which faces it from the other side of the river, it produces only Chenin whites, in still versions (from dry to sweet) and sparkling ones made by the traditional method.
The terroir: tuffeau, perruche soils and sands
The plateau rests on the tuffeau of Touraine, the region's soft limestone. At the surface, 'perruches' — clay-with-flint soils — dominate, along with alluvial sands deposited in the interfluve. These lighter, more free-draining soils give Montlouis wines a style that is often livelier and more airy than Vouvray's, with a fine expression of fruit.
The style of the wines
Wines are classed according to their residual sugar, from dry to sweet, the latter made from late harvests reserved for years with a fine late season. The dry wines, often taut and saline, and the fine sparkling wines have made the appellation's recent reputation, which has become a favoured ground of expression for a new generation of Chenin winemakers.