Chenin Blanc

This sparkling wine from the Loire Valley is 100% Chenin Blanc.  Light golden in color with a fair amount of quickly disappearing medium bubbles.  The nose has seltzer and minerality.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, bitter almonds with a hint of orange peel.  Shorter finish.  A very pleasant wine as an aperitif.  Nice on its own, it should be very food friendly.  Fried appetizers would work well.  Drink over the next year or two.  

This is an iconic bottling from one of the controversial masters of Loire wines.  He has long used "natural winemaking techniques" long before they were en vogue.  The lack of preservatives in the wines leads to a higher amount of spoilage at times, so one needs to be careful with ordering, shipping and storage.  No worries here, this wine was stunning.  It is made from 100% Chenin Blanc grown biodynamically since 1984.  Golden in color (not deep), clear and bright.  The nose is great with orange peel, apricots, salinity and just a slight note of nuttiness.  Medium to full bodied.  On the p

Domaine Huet makes some of the best Chenin Blanc wines anywhere in the world from dry to sweet to sparkling.  This one is semi-dry and is wonderful.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with citrus (lemons and slight tangerine), salinity and chalk.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Good balance and acidity.  On the palate, citrus with nice minerality.  This is sweet but not at dessert levels.  The acidity balances it nicely.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with spicy Thai food.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  

One of the cool things about Vouvray is that it is made from Chenin Blanc grapes which more often than not can age well.  When I walked into a local  wine store and saw this for $20, it was well worth the flier.  The only real problem is that there are no more.  Made by American Peter Hahn and imported with Rosenthal, this is a lovely wine.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has nice minerality with hints of orange peel and a bit of apricot.  Medium bodied and slightly viscous.  At age 12, there is just a bit of sweetness here (some has probably faded since bottling).  A n

Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with minerals, orange peel and crushed shells.  Medium bodied.  Slight sweetness.  Lots of minerality with some salinity.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Drinking quite well now.  Nice on its own and will work with lighter salads.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

I am a huge fan of Rhys Chardonnays and also a big fan of the Chenin Blanc grape so it was with great anticipation that this got opened.  Its a very nice wine, but not at the level for me of the Chardonnays.  I believe this was the first vintage so perhaps Kevin Harvey and his team will zero in on growing this varietal and making the wine they want.  Tasted over three days, it didn't really change, so perhaps this is the proverbial "needs more time" wine.  In any event, light golden in color with the slightest copper hue.  On the nose, some orange rind, a bit of honey, peaches and some mine

Another great bottle from this, arguably the best, producer of Vouvray.  This is Chenin Blanc at its best.  Light golden/silver in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with quince, slight peach, saline, and lots of crushed shells and minerals.  Medium bodied and slightly viscous texture.  On the palate, this is dry.  Peach, quince with minerals underneath.  well balanced acidity.  Very smooth.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  Of course, this is quite young but it comes out firing on all cylinders.  It should drink well for the net twenty years.   This drinks great on its own (it to

This is an old vine Chenin Blanc from vineyards in Santa Ynez and Paso Robles.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a bunch of granny smith apples with a touch of chamomile tea.  Medium bodied.  On the palate this has a nice minerality.  There is some green apples.  Dry.  Clean.  This drinks easy.  Nice finish.  Although Chenin ages well, and these are old vines, it should probably be consumed over the next five years.  It might be interesting to lay one down for ten or more though.  This will go well with seafood.  Oysters are a good call.  

Protea is apparently the national flower of South Africa.  The bottle is clear but covered with stenciled white flowers.  Very unusual and well done.  Silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pears and slight mint.  Light bodied.  On the palate, tart apples but also some oranges.  Nice texture.  moderate finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work with lighter foods such as seafood salads.  Drink over the next few years.  

Gold in color with green hues.  The nose has seltzer, limes and a scent that many of us trying thought cannabis.  On the palate, this lacks much acidity.  Lime fruits with a bit of candied lemon.  Moderate finish.  It is tasty and easy to drink.  Drink over the next couple of years.  Nice on its own, this will work well with lighter salads.