Coteaux de l'Aubance is a sweet wine appellation of the Anjou district in the western Loire Valley of France. Introduced in 1950, it covers 10 communes to the south of Angers, accounting for roughly 545 acres (220ha) of vineyards.
The quality of the sweet wines from southern Anjou is due in large part to its topography – mainly created by the local river systems, including the Aubance. Over the millennia the Aubance has carved out gentle, south-facing slopes and pockets of sheltered mesoclimates that protect the vineyards from cold continental winds blowing in from the north and east. At the point where the river turns west from its northerly course, in the village of Brissac-Quince, it has left gravel-rich banks on its former route. It is here, in the schistous soils between the Aubance and the Loire, that Coteaux de l'Aubance vines are grown. This area is also the source of Anjou Villages-Brissac – some of the finer red wines that Anjou has to offer.
All Coteaux du Aubance wines are made exclusively from Chenin Blanc grapes, which thrive in the local terroir. Chenin – or Pineau de la Loire as it is known here – is by far the most widely used variety in the sweet wines of the Loire. It is at its peak within the catchment area of the Coteaux de l'Aubance and its southern neighbor Coteaux du Layon. The Coteaux du Layon title has traditionally been more widely recognized than Coteaux de l'Aubance and also more respected. This is down to the quality of the winemaking in the respective appellations, rather than any superiority of terroir. The situation is now changing, with a number of well-regarded winemakers producing high-quality Coteaux de l'Aubance.
In late summer, the morning mists that rise from the Aubance river promote the development of botrytis – an essential ingredient in the most expressive Coteaux de l'Aubance wines. The sweetest of these are sold as Coteaux de l'Aubance Selection de Grains Nobles.
