Coteaux du Layon Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay wines are sweet white wines produced under the Coteaux du Layon appellation, specifically from the parish of Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay in the Anjou district of the western Loire Valley.
Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay is a village at the heart of the Coteaux du Layon area, bordered to the east by the Hyrome river and to the north by the Layon river, which gives the appellation its name. Protected from the north-east by the Foret de Beaulieu woodland, the vines of Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay enjoy a southerly exposure on the gently sloping gravelly banks above the Layon. This particular area produces arguably the finest sweet wines in the entire Loire region, with Chaume and Quarts de Chaume immediately to the north and Bonnezeaux just seven miles (11km) to the east.
The quality of the area's sweet wines is largely due to the local topography – itself due in no small part to the nearby rivers, including the Layon. Over the millennia the river has carved out gentle south-facing slopes around Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay, creating a sheltered mesoclimate that protects the vineyards from cold continental winds blowing in from the north and east. In late summer, the morning mists rising from the river promote the development of botrytis (noble rot), an essential ingredient in the best Coteaux du Layon Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay wines.
The sweetest and most expressive wines from the village are sold with Selection de Grains Nobles mentioned after the appellation title. These are made from grapes harvested in tries successives – i.e. multiple passes through the vineyard, during which only grapes affected by noble rot are picked. This title was brought to the Loire from Alsace to replace the former sweetness statements Demi-Sec, Moelleux and Liquoreux, although the tries successives harvesting method is credited to the top chateaux of Sauternes.
All Coteaux du Layon wines are made exclusively from Chenin Blanc grapes, which thrive on the schistous soils here. Chenin, or Pineau de la Loire as it is known locally, is by far the most widely used variety in the sweet wines of the Loire and is at its peak within the catchment area of the Coteaux du Layon.
