Chenin Blanc

Sandlands is one of the best sources for Chenin Blanc in the United States.  They make a lot of other interesting wines but these might be the best.  And, their wines are all great values.  These come from vines planted back in the 1970's.  Golden in color.  A lovely nose of honey, almond milk and Calvados.  On the palate, it is much the same but less alcohol; let's say pears not Calvados.  Also an underlying minerality.  OK acidity.  Nice finish.  This will work with Salads, fish, or sushi very well.  Chenin Blanc ages very well and while I have not had this old, it seems likely that this

Pop and pour, this is in a good place right now.  Light golden in color.  The nose has a nice salinity with some orange peel.  On the palate, this is barely sweet.  It has an almost dry pineapple quality if that makes sense.  Underlying minerality with a touch a salt (and yes, salt is also a mineral).  Good finish.  This is close to peak but will continue to morph and mature.  No hurry on well stored bottles.  Went well with cheeses.  

I am a big fan of the Chenin Blanc grape and Sandlands makes some of the best in California!  They have a low alcohol but at the same time, these are not wispy or lacking in fruit.  Light bronze/gold in color.  The nose is great with lemons, wax, slight orange peel and minerals.  On the palate, this is lean but solid.  Nice acidity.  A bit of lemon, over a nice steely minerality.  Nice finish.  Worked great on its own but will work with lighter foods and even a burger.  Probably should last for 5 to 8 more years, but perhaps even longer.  It would be fun to put a bottle away and these are n

This is a relatively inexpensive Chenin Blanc that makes for fine sipping.  Light golden in color.  The nose has pear and lemons and a slight minerality.  On the palate, this is clean and easy to drink.  Pears with slight waxy finish.  Light bodied.  It works with lighter foods or on its own.  Drink these sooner than later though Chenin does have the ability to age.  

This bottle was quite good.  There are some reports about the prematurely oxidizing or at least ageing quickly but this was the first time trying this vintage.  It is quite a deep golden color but that is not unheard of for Chenin.  The nose is very nice with aromas of pears, orange peel, slight copper note and a bit of honey.  Full bodied and slightly viscous.  Also slightly oily in texture.  Lots of great minerality with some background orange and pear.  Long finish.  This has a slight perception of being sweet but it seems dry.  Good acidity.  This worked great with some hummus and also

A "natural" wine, whatever that means.  It is an unusual take on Chenin Blanc.  Tasted a wine store tasting, this was my second time getting an opportunity to try this and it seemed like it has improved (or this was a better bottle).  Lighter in color than a previous bottle, so perhaps the first bottle had been oxidized a bit.  Light gold, clear and bright.  The nose is different with cardamom, and orange pith.  On the palate, this has tart oranges.  Strong acidity.  12% Alc.  It finishes a bit salty which is different and probably makes it more food friendly.  It was priced at $12 on close

This is delicious if young today.  Just a wonderful dessert wine.  And a wine that will out live all of us.  This is Chenin Blanc at its best.  Light golden in color.  The nose has ocean air, some crushed shells, orange peel and honey.  With air some poached pear notes emerge.  On the palate, this is slightly viscous.  It is sweet but short of cloying.  Enough acidity to balance.  Flavors of honey and baked apples.  Long finish.  Delicious in small amounts.  This goes well with ripe cheese or a savory cake.  

Deep golden in color.  The nose shows some slight oxidation but not a lot.  Some apple cider notes but also fresh pears.  On the palate, this is just barely sweet.  The apple cider carries thru as does the pears.  Good finish.  So the big question is whether this was a pristine bottle.  At age 13, it probably should have been a bit fresher.  On the other hand, it was varietally correct.  It seems this was close enough that it is within the variance of a 13 years old top Vouvray.   All in all, this should have been better but it was still very good.  

2003 was an extremely hot vintage across all of Europe.  The heat had two different effects on the vines.  Some of the grapes got withered and raisened from the heat.  Other vines just shut down an the grapes never got fully ripe.  And, a few places thru a combination of luck, micro-climates and hard work in the vineyard made good wines.  This wine seems to have a bit of all three of those.  Still, at age 15, it is drinking very well.  Medium deep golden in color.  The nose is sugary with apricots.  On the palate, this has nice apricot fruit.  Slightly sweet.  Not a lot of depth or complexi

Supposedly this is a natural wine.  Those can be good but often have some spoilage and similar issue.  There was nothing here to say this was affected, but it is a very odd wine that might have limited appeal.  On the other hand, it retails for around $15, so, especially for a wine geek, it might be worth checking out.  Deep golden in color (does this see extended skin contact?).  The nose is a bit odd.  Some sweaty undershirt quality to it.  A bit of dill.  Some tangerine fruit lurking in the background.  On the palate, it is hard to describe.  Kind of like apples that fall under a tree an