Jonathan Pabiot: Vineyards
The vineyards of Pouilly-Fumé lie around the town of Pouilly-sur-Loire, which sits on the opposite bank of the Loire to Sancerre. The soils in the region are varied, although mostly limestone, including the very desirable Kimmeridgian marl called terres blanches, which while not too hard to come across in Sancerre is much less common here, in the Pouilly-Fumé vineyards. There are other terroirs that dominate here, mainly Oxfordian and Portlandian limestone (the latter common here, but very rare in Sancerre).
The cellars are in Les Loges, a small riverside settlement midway between Pouilly-sur-Loire (upriver) and Tracy-sur-Loire (downriver). There are 18.5 hectares of vineyards spread over several surrounding communes eligible for the appellation, taking in the full array of available terroirs. About 60% of the vines are planted on limestone soils, including Oxfordian and Portlandian terroirs, as well as the aforementioned Kimmeridgian marl. There is even a little flint here, and some quite sandy soils in places. Most vines are quite close at hand, and easily reachable by car, van or tractor within a few minutes. The most distant are perhaps those around St-Laurent-l’Abbaye, which lies a few kilometres north-east of Les Loges.
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