Chenin Blanc

The Vouvray's of Huet are my most often opened white wine.  100% Chenin Blanc.  This vintage seems to be not a top vintage but the wine is still excellent and a nice value.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with pears, sea air, some orange peel and slight herbal note.  Medium bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, this is dry (Sec) with pears and slight citrus.  Moderate finish.  This improved over the three  hours it took to drain the bottle (two people).  It should drink well for the next ten to fifteen years.  Nice on its own, it is very

This is a blend of 86% Chenin Blanc and 14% Semillon from South Africa.  Medium gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has red apples, slight wax/lanolin notes and a bit of honey dew.  Medium to full bodied.  Some warmth on the palate.  Very concentrated with flavors of apples, slight honeyed notes and an almost lime quality.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  A very serious wine that is ageing well.  It has shed its primary qualities at this point.  This should drink well for another ten years (provided one enjoys aged Chenin).  It went very well with a "Somosa Pie".

I used to drink a lot of this but somehow it fell off my radar.  Tasting this, I am reminded how good it is.  Made from Chenin Blanc grapes.  Pale, silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is expressive with flint, some chalk, some green apples and a bit or orange rind.  Full bodied.  Lovely texture.  Great acidity.  On the palate, the chalk and green apples come thru along with some herbal notes.  Clean.  Persistent finish with some heat.  This is delicious on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  An interesting match would be chicken salad.  

Sandlands makes some of the best Chenin Blancs in America.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with minerality/crushed shells, some lemon and lanolin.  Light to medium bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, this young.  Vibrant.  The minerality continues thru but the lemon is more persistent.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This is nice on its own and should work well with all but the heaviest meat dishes.  It worked very well with Hunan food.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

This is 100% Chenin Blanc from 70 year old vines in the Loire Valley.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has loads of minerality with a touch of lemon peel.  Slightly viscous texture.  Concentrated.  Lots of energy.  On the palate, this is clean and tasty with a lot of minerality.  Slight lemon note.  Long finish. This is very young but drinking well.  It should continue to drink well for another ten to fifteen years (at least).  A great match for grilled trout or other sea food.  This is expensive so shop around for pricing.  

Always a great value in white wine.  These wines come in a variety of sweetness levels with the Sec being the driest.  It is a wine that should do at least ten years if well cellared.  Mineral driven with crushed shells and also a hint of orange peel.  Great on its own or with sea food or lighter meals.  Highly recommended.

This is a dry (Sec) Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with tangerines, sea air, baked apples and char.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  Very nice slightly oily texture.  On the palate, green apples with an interesting chervil note.  Long finish.  This is still young but drinking well.  Nice on its own, this is also very food friendly.  It would pair nicely with pork chops.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is a dry Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  Silvery/green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is interesting with red apples, crushed rocks, Linden leaves, and a slight orange peel note.  Full bodied.  Lovely "slick" texture.  On the palate, crushed rocks/minerality, and red apples with a nice backbone of acidity.  Long finish.  This is young and vibrant but will round out with some age.  It should drink well for another ten more years.  A nice wine for Thai or Chinese food, but this would also be great with fried chicken.  

This is a late harvest wines made from Chenin Blanc grapes in the Loire Valley, France.  12% abv.  Very pretty in the glass with a deep golden color, clear and bright.  The nose has orange zest, honey apricots and sea air.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is sweet and is probably best served as a dessert wine.  Not cloying.  Notes of apricots and slight honey.  Long finish.  Deep and complex.  This will drink well on its own, but would work great with less sweet dessert such as a simple cookie or a Polenta Cake.  Sweet Chenin Blanc wines can last a long time.  This is alrea

The wines of François Pinon have been some of our favorites for quite some time.  His son Julien is now involved with him at the winery.  This wine is so named as the grapes (100% Chenin Blanc) come from three separate plots.  The wines are fermented with native yeasts in old wooden vats in the naturally cool cellar carved out of a limestone hillside.