Chenin Blanc – A Perfect Summer Companion

Somehow, when considering white wines for summer, I often overlook Chenin Blanc. I’m more likely to think about Viognier, Riesling, Torrontes, Pinot Blanc, even unoaked Chardonnay. I guess Chenin Blanc is the Rodney Dangerfield of white wines, it just gets no respect. Even the introductory statement for Chenin Blanc in Wine Grapes by Robinson, Harding and Vouillamoz communicates a similar sentiment. “Loire, and South African, speciality making crisp, sometimes long-lived, wines with varying degrees of sweetness that deserves more recognition.”

George and Gail at Fine Wines of Stockton however, never forget about Chenin Blanc. They are big fans of the wine varietal, especially for summertime, and usually do a tasting this time of year. They recently put together six Chenin Blancs that fall into two categories: summer sippers for a hot day or dinner companions for a summer meal. Let’s see what they chose.

2010 Baron Herzog Clarksburg Chenin Blanc $9.50 – citrus and minerals scents followed by light floral flavors, juicy acidity and a moderately long finish. This light-in-the-mouth wine is the perfect thing to sip on a warm summer afternoon. ABV 11.5%.

2010 HMS Victorious Chenin Blanc $10 – this South African wine had a complex nose of citrus and summer melon. Sweetly floral flavors with great acidity and a bit of citrus rind on the finish made for a very complex wine. Quite a bit more acidity and weight in the mouth make this an ideal dinner companion. Anything spicy or rich and creamy would be a great choice. ABV is 13.5%.

2011 Marc Brédif Vouvray $24 – the nose on this wine was interesting, a bit of rubber tire, which blew off and was followed by anise. Flavors were complex with minerals, vegetal, citrusy notes. This very flavorful wine had good acidity and was very well-balanced. Great food wine, though if I started sipping this before dinner, there might not be much left to drink with the meal! ABV 12.5%.

2012 Husch Mendocino Chenin Blanc $10 – light scents of flowers and citrus on the nose followed by mineral and citrus flavors. This wine is light in the mouth and has a bit of residual sugar. It is flavorful, but not overly complex. It would be good sitting pool-side on a hot afternoon, though I would appreciate a less alcohol. ABV 13.6%.

2010 Chateau de la Roulerie Chenin Blanc $13 – this wine has become very dark yellow. The nose and flavors contrast with each other. The nose has scents of sweet pineapple. The flavors contrast with minerals, citrus and tart acidity. This wine has a bit more weight in the mouth and with this complexity, would be a great food wine. This Loire Château has been making wine since the 10th century! They make several styles of Chenin Blanc, this is the basic dry white cuvée known locally as Anjou Blanc. ABV 13%.

2011 Mulderbosch Steen op Hout (Chenin Blanc) $15 – the nose and flavors in this wine are similar, a combination of citrus and floral components. It is light bodied, has crisp, zesty acidity and the finish is moderate in length. This could be just as easily sipped by the pool as paired with a meal. A dual-purpose Chenin Blanc. ABV 13.5%.

Chenin Blanc is used to produce sparkling wine, dry to off-dry style white wine and late harvest (botrytisized) wines. Some of these styles age well too. It generally has good acidity, even when yields are high, which makes it a popular blending variety.

Chenin Blanc buds early and therefore is sensitive to early frost. It is mid-ripening. Bunches are medium-sized to large, but berries are small. The grapes are susceptible to botrytis and the foliage to powdery mildew. Yield can be quite high (California), but is kept low in the Loire Valley.

Chenin Blanc gained prominence in the Loire Valley, where verifiable documentation of its cultivation dates back to 1496 according to Robinson, Harding and Vouillamoz in Wine Grapes. DNA analysis has documented Chenin Blanc is the offspring of Savagnin and an unknown parent. Most production of Chenin Blanc in France occurs in the Loire Valley, though some Chenin Blanc is grown in Limoux located in western Languedoc where it is used to produce both sparkling and still white wines.

Chenin Blanc was introduced to South Africa, where it is called Steen, in the 1600s and has become its signature grape (you can read about the history of winemaking in South Africa here). South Africa has the most acreage planted to Chenin Blanc of any country. It is used to produce a wide variety of wine styles in South Africa as well. Pete tasted a 2010 Ken Forrester T Noble Late Harvest Chenin Blanc recently made from 40-43 year old vines! You can read about the tasting here.

California has large plantings of Chenin Blanc, though less than half of the acreage planted in South Africa. In California it is used mostly for blending. Clarksburg AVA (American Viticultural Area) plantings in the Bay Delta are more often used to produce a varietal wine.

This tasting gave us a sample of two California, two French (Loire Valley) and two South African Chenin Blancs. Admittedly a small sampling, but the South African wines offered bracing acidity, the French great complexity and the California wines a lighter style.

This group of Chenin Blancs showed good versatility, pleasant flavors and good acidity. And they are all very reasonably priced, from $9.50 to $24. These are all good reasons to move Chenin Blanc to the front of the list of white wines to consider for summertime enjoyment. Thanks to George and Gail for the annual reminder of the virtues of Chenin Blanc.

Cheers!

Reference: Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, José Vouillamoz.