2019 Cape Venture Lubanzi Wines Chenin Blanc, South Africa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
85
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$14.00USD

Golden in color with a touch of green.  The nose has a bit of honey and a slight floral (peach blossoms?) note.  Light bodied.  Tart on the palate.  Peaches.  A bit of apple cider on the end suggesting this may be heading south.  Still providing some enjoyment.  Drink now.  Nice on its own, this will work with salads and even lighter spicy foods.  

2018 Domaine de l'Enchantoir Saumur Blanc Terres Blanches, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

This is a really enjoyable Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley of France.  Light gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lots of minerals, orange peel and slight floral notes.  Medium bodied.  Slightly sweet.  Concentrated minerality on the palate.  Long finish.  This is delicious now and should drink well for another decade.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with lighter salads and seafoods.  

2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Clos du Bourg, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2002
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$45.00USD

Nice showing for this bottle.  A bit of oxidation, but the wine is almost 20!  Deep golden in color with some orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose has sea air, some burnt orange peel, and apricots.  Slightly viscous.  A touch of sweetness.  This is deep and complex with apricots, orange peel and minerality.  Not so much layered as close to seamless.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This paired nicely with some salted truffle fries but would work well with goat cheese.  Probably better with a touch of food at this point.  Drink over the next ten years.  Note, there are some oxidation issues

2002 Château Gaudrelle Vouvray Clos le Vigneau, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2002
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

An interesting wine.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has almonds, grapefruits, slight chalk and a hint of salinity.  medium bodied.  On the palate, those qualities came out as well.  Very nice acidity.  Overall, a bit reticent but refreshing.  Perhaps because it came in a 500ml bottle, but I presumed it would be at least semi-sweet.  Not to be, but it did work well with home made vegan ginger snaps.  Well made Vouvray can last a long time as this showed no real signs of age.  I wouldn't worry about another five or ten years.  

2017 Sandlands Chenin Blanc Lodi

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$46.00USD

As I said in a prior review. Sandlands makes my favorite US Chanin Blanc.  Light golden in color.  The nose is very nice  with wax, orange peel, minerals and slight lemon.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there is a nice depth.  The orange peel comes thru with a slight waxy note.  Good energy.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  This drank great on its own after a tasting of 12 different Lodi Zins.  It really cut thru and cleaned the palate and was delicious.  drink over the next seven to ten years.  This is one mailing list I highly recommend that you join.  

2005 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2005
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$80.00USD

This sweet Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France so no signs of ageing at all.  Light yellow/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pears, honey, white peaches, with a bit of crushed shells and salinity.  Full bodied.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, this is sweet but just a bit, certainly not cloying.  Good acidity.  The honey, peaches and and minerality come thru.  A very long finish.  This wine is deep and stops the drinker in his or her tracks.  It drinks great on its own and might be harder to match with food.  A not too sweet shortbread cookie or a soft goat cheese wo

2018 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Clos du Bourg, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$38.00USD

From one of the top producers in the Loire Valley in France comes this great value in dry Chenin Blanc.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with orange peel, sea air and minerality.  Medium bodied.  Great texture.  Dry.  On the palate, there is quince, slight salinity and underlying minerality.  Nice acidity.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and will work well with lighter foods and also Thai food.  This is drinking well right now and should continue to do so for ten to twelve more years.  

2017 Sandlands Chenin Blanc California, USA, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

Sandlands makes some of the best Chenin Blanc in the US.  Now, that might be faint praise for some, but theirs stands up to anyone's in the world too.  Light silvery/gold in color with a touch of copper.  The nose is very minerally with some orange peel.  Medium bodied with a slightly oily texture.  The minerality really comes thru to the palate, but there is also some tangerine notes and a hint or herbs.  Good balance.  Refreshing.  Nice finish.  This is drinking great now, but Chenin can age well.  This won't make really old bones, but another seven to ten years is not out of the question

2013 Mullineux Old Vines White, South Africa, Swartland, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$36.00USD

This is an outstanding white from South Africa.  It is a blend of 80% Chenin Blanc, 13% Clairette and 7% Viognier.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is enticing with orange peel, lemon, wax, honey and minerals.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, it feels like it will be sweet but is not.  Dry.  Lots of layers with lemon and orange over minerals.  Complex.  It is one of those wines that forces on to pay attention.  Long finish.  At age seven, this is young, vibrant with plenty of energy.  There is some development but more is coming.  There is some mint on the long finish.  This sho

2005 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2005
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$60.00USD

What a beautiful wine.  At age 15, this has settled into a nice sweet spot.  Sealed with a screw cap.  Golden in color, but too dark.  The nose is big with dried honey, pears, orange peel and salinity.  Full bodied and slightly viscous.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet.  Delicious with great minerality.  Oranges and honey over minerals.  Still showing youthful with lots of verve.  Long finish.  This should easily go another fifteen to twenty years.  It works great on its own and will work with less sweet or fruit based desserts (especially pears or oranges).  

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