Our old family friend Donny (aka the Ump) was over, and there we were at the appetizers, enjoying cream cheese stuffed mini peppers, tiny toast, cured meats, and cheese when suddenly Donny’s face lit up. With a wide-eyed look of wine shock, he asked, “what is this?” I replied It’s Chenin Blanc! To this, he declared this is my new favorite wine! I understood completely because it’s one of my favorite wines!
Chenin Blanc comes at you with a steely-eyed freshness, a nice acidity that bathes the tongue and washes away that buttery nugget you just ate. It’s light, but not too light. It’s tight but not too tight and can produce delightful aromas of minerals, citrus blossoms, earth, and wet wool.
This is a chameleon of a grape, adapting to climates from the Loire Valley of France, to South Africa, to California. These areas present very differently; the growing conditions demonstrate Chenin Blancs’ ability to thrive almost anywhere while producing great wine. FYI, its native home is the Loire Valley close to Paris, and consequently, it became a favorite of Parisian bistros with its floral and acidic nature, making it a great food wine.
France – the most famous and intriguing expressions of CB are found in the Loire Valley. From the Anjou-Saumur wine region in the central Loire River valley comes Savennières, the most cerebral wine in the world. From the Quarts de Chaume area comes the first sweet wine from the Loire to earn Grand Cru status (a big deal in the wine world). This area also produces lovely sparkling wines from Chenin Blanc blends.
South Africa – Chenin Blanc (aka Steen) is their most important and widely planted grape. Twice as much is grown in South Africa than in the Loire Valley of France. Some of the most delicious CB in the world are produced here, and prices range from very reasonable to expensive. The oldest CB vines in the world are found in South Africa, and efforts are underway to preserve these old vines, almost as a national treasure.
USA – as with many products in the United States, change occurs rapidly, and the old is rediscovered by entrepreneurs breathing new life into them. So it is in California where CB was traditionally used for inexpensive table wine (aka jug wine) or as a blending grape. Now growers are saddling the vigorous Chenin Blanc vines reducing grape yields, thus improving their quality. As a result, single-varietal Chenin Blancs have a well-deserved following.
Go ahead, try some.
The Loire Valley France: enjoy dry Vouvray or Savennières, sweet Coteaux du Layon, or a sparkling Saumur.
South Africa: wine regions of Stellenbosch or Swartland produce excellent Chenin Blancs.
West Coast of the USA: here’s a list of twelve top-rated Chenin Blancs from California, but also look for limited-production Chenin Blancs from the Central Valley, Sierra Foothills, Mendocino, or Santa Barbara.
East Coast of the USA: In preparing this article, I was delighted to learn that in my home state of Virginia, Arterra Wines produces a lovely and sought-after Chenin Blanc! They’re located one hour west of DC via Interstate 66 in a beautiful area of Virginia wine country. They graciously provided photos and interesting notes on their thoughts and decisions leading up to planting this wonderful grape.
Chenin Blanc at Arterra Wines, Virginia, USA, by Arterra wines
As a wine lover appreciative of craftsmanship, I love Arterra’s winemaking art and science approach. It’s the approach you want from anyone making a high-quality product. I can not explain this better than the owners themselves. Here’s an excerpt from Arterra’s website’s winemaking section. I encourage reading the entire article.
“Abandoning techniques that would be used to replicate the great wines of other regions, Arterra instead celebrates the greatness of Virginia Wine. To produce a true Virginia Style, we start by producing the highest quality fruit and conclude with minimalist winemaking, including native yeast fermentations, neutral oak, no additives, and no concentration manipulations. Nothing is done to ‘make’ the wine; instead, the grapes are gently guided to express themselves as wine via an entirely naturally occurring process.”
Arterra Wines in Delaplane, Virginia, USA by www.arterrawines.com
What the critics say.
Arterra 2018 Fauquier County Chenin Blanc – “A simple citrus note blends apple and fresh hay aromas. Tingling apple and Mandarin orange notes ride super-tart acidity loaded with lemon juice and a long lime finish.” by Fiona Adams, wine critic, wineenthusiast.com.
Post Taste.
After tasting Arterra’s Chenin Blanc, I reflected on the owner/winemaker’s notes on how they came to grow this grape. They ventured forth after observing its ability to withstand the cold winters of Loire, France, and also thrive in the hot summers of South Africa. These temperature variations reminded them of Virginia’s climate and gave them the spark, and now to everyone’s delight, we have local Chenin Blanc! Thanks, Arterra Wines!
