All about Touraine Mesland
The Touraine Mesland PDO was recognized on July 15, 1955. The Touraine-Mesland vineyard extends over 105 hectares in the Loir-et-Cher department. Winegrowers produce white wines mainly from Chenin, rosés from Gamay, and red wines from blends of Gamay, the main grape variety, Cabernet Franc, and Côt.
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Key figures
Here's the Touraine Mesland PDO identity card:
10
Producers150
Ha5
Municipalities3k
hl per year3
Still wine colors: white, rosé, red250k
bottles produced each year
Origins
History
The Touraine Mesland PDO was officially recognized by decree on July 15, 1955. The vineyards of the Mesland region have existed continuously from the middle of the 11th century to the present day.
| 1833 | Presence of vines in the Mesland region | The 1833 land register attests to the presence of vines in the communes of Mesland, Monteaux, Onzain, Chambon-sur-Cisse, Chouzy-sur-Cisse and Molineuf, right up to the Blois border, where the Grouets hillsides produced a famous wine. |
| XIXth | Phylloxera crisis | The entire Mesland vineyard had to be uprooted. The winegrowers replanted and set about gaining recognition for their appellation. |
| 1955 | Recognition by the INAO of the Touraine Mesland DGC | The winegrowers, led by Marcel Chassier, head of the Onzain cooperative cellar, obtained recognition for their appellation on July 15, 1955. |
| 1994 | Modification of the specifications | Modification of the specifications on July 12, 1994 to reinforce the presence of côt and cabernet franc in the blend of red wines. |
Presentation
The Touraine Mesland PDO vineyard is a Loire vineyard located southwest of the Paris Basin and southeast of Tours. It is located to the northeast of the Touraine PDO area and corresponds to a plateau edge facing the Loire to the south. The Touraine Mesland PDO vineyard covers some 105 hectares in Loir-et-Cher, in five communes on the right bank of the Loire, opposite the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire: Mesland, Monteaux, Valencisse, Valloire-sur-Cisse and Veuzain-sur-Loire.
.Soil and climate
The Touraine Mesland PDO vineyard is bounded by limestone hillsides 30 to 40 metres above the Loire Valley. Above these vineyard slopes lies a vast, undulating plateau corresponding to the Touraine Gâtine. The hillsides are incised by secondary valleys: the Cisse, the Cissereau and the Petite Cisse. Benefiting from a favorable south-west orientation, the vineyard's morphology is strongly influenced by the Cisse valley, offering slopes with good-quality viticultural soils. The vineyard still benefits from an oceanic climate, the effects of which are beginning to lessen. In addition to the mildness of the Loire climate, albeit slightly attenuated towards the east, the morphology and topography of the area (south-facing slopes) are also favorable. Annual rainfall is average.
Cultivation methods
Vineyard management in the Touraine Mesland appellation aims to preserve the overall cultural health of the vines, based on reasoned cultivation practices. This translates into a set of cultural practices aimed at preserving the health of the vines (disease control, pruning), and maintaining the soil (tillage, soil cover). A large proportion of the Touraine Mesland PDO estates have obtained High Environmental Value level 3 certification.
The cultivation practices of the Touraine Mesland PDO are therefore in line with an approach that respects the environment, enabling the production of quality wines.
Terroir and wines
The vineyards of the Touraine Mesland appellation are mostly composed of flinty clay soils, which play an essential role in the water regulation of the vines, ensuring sufficient water reserves in case of drought and good drainage during heavy winter rains.
The gentle slopes that line the furrows of the Loire play a crucial role in the production of Touraine Mesland appellation wines, offering the vines privileged exposure to the sun. This south-southeast exposure is perfectly suited to the ripening of red grapes, which make up the majority of grape varieties grown in the appellation. In particular, this favorable exposure makes it possible to obtain tannic red wines rich in aroma and flavor, but also aromatic white wines.