Description
The Pouilly vineyards appear to have been officially recognized as early as the 5th century. They were then further developed by monks in the 12th century (a plot of land facing the Loire is still called the “Loge aux Moines”); the monastic influence grew stronger still when the Pouilly lands were passed to the Bénédictins de la Charité for the sum of 3,100 sous and one silver Mark. When the Briare canal opened in the wine in 1642, trade set its sights on the Paris markets. From 1860 to 1890, the vineyards grew Chasselas table grapes, sending them by rail (the railway arrived in Pouilly in 1861) to Chasselas, for Pouilly Sur Loire. Both achieved AOC status in 1937.
Soils: A variety of soil types can be identified here: Barrois and Villiers limestone (caillottes), Kimmeridgian marl with oyster shell, clay/limestone, and siliceous clay.