Chenin Blanc
Pronunciation: Sheh-nan BlahnWhere it's Grown: Chenin Blanc is greatly prized in the Loire Valley of France. Amazing wines are made from this grape amid a very temperate, even cold, climate. History finds us digging back to the 9th century to find the written records of the Abbaye de Glanfeuil in Anjou demonstrating the long cultivation of Chenin Blanc in the Loire. It was then sent to what we now know as Vouvray and Montlouis in 1445.
Too bad France has not had time to perfect this grape! It is only here in the Loire Valley that this grape reaches the magical potential it possesses. Wines of all styles are made in Loire from this grape. Go looking for sparkling Vouvray, dry wines, sweet wines, amazingly intense dessert wines. These wines are also meant to age and the dessert style wines rarely survive to their maturity.
The second most import home for Chenin Blanc is South Africa. Although most are only of moderate interest, some have really started to shine. It is grown all over the country and is found in styles ranging from part of a sparkling wine blend to brandy distillation. In the cooler sites with elevation or sea influence the perfume nature of the grape can be found.
What to expect: When drinking a wine from the Loire, the first thing to note is the amazing amount of tartness from the acidity. The lime zest and green apple are normally moderated by some amount of residual sugar that rounds out the wine. Classically, there is a definite note of honey to Chenin, and the smell of wet wool or lanolin. This is also a very floral grape with bouquets of honeysuckle jumping from the glass in most cases.
The dry wines can be very austere in youth but blossom with significant aging. The not dry to sweet wines really should develop in the bottle for a decade or more to reach their potential. Some of the most amazing sweet wines I have ever tasted were Chenin Blanc wines from the Coteaux du Layon region with 15 years of age or more. Far from old, they were toddlers with the playful entertaining side we all embrace.
South African Chenin just does not have the same refreshing side but is a lovely wine. Expect pear, green apple, and tropical fruit notes. When not aged in oak the floral side shows itself but not with the intensity of Loire. When they age it in oak it just tastes like oaky white wine and nothing more interesting. When buying from this region look for specifically wines not aged in oak.
