chenin blanc: not just the loire
Chenin Blanc is one of my favorite grape varieites. That's perhaps not surprising because the Loire, where Chenin Blanc originates, is one of my favorite wine regions—but it's a bit more complicated than that. It's also grown in other parts of France which are quite different from the Loire: there's actually more planted in Languedoc than in the Loire Valley, and it's found in various appellations in south-west France. In fact, until recently, it was technically permitted in Bordeaux. It's planted elsewhere too: there's more Chenin Blanc in South Africa than the rest of the world put together, and there are pockets of Chenin Blanc in California.
Overall Chenin Blanc is defined by waxy, honeycomb, beeswax aromas, but the grape variety produces a vast range of styles: dry, off-dry, sweet, sparkling, and the various climates in which it is grown also leads to different characteristics. This all makes Chenin Blanc a fascinating variety: it has a clear identity but is never quite the same.
south africa
Scions of Sinai is a Stellenbosch producer owned and run by winemaker Brendan Bredell. His Granietsteen Chenin Blanc is from vines planted in 1978 from a dry-farmed vineyard just 3.5km from the sea, which provides cooling conditions. As Chenin Blanc's aromatics don't benefit from new oak, half of the wine receives twelve hours of skin contact to give a grainy, lightly gripping texture. This is a gorgeous example of South African Chenin: richer and fuller than the Loire, but still characteristic of the variety. There is some extraordinary wine being made in South Africa which is overlooked in the USA: this Chenin shows why we should be paying to attention to the country's wines.
california
Back in the 1960s, Chenin Blanc was the most planted variety in Napa Valley: there's plenty of history for Chenin within California. However, plantings since then have fallen dramatically, but there are passionate producers who continue to make wines from Chenin Blanc. The region now most associated with Chenin is Clarksburg, an AVA next to Lodi on the Sacramento Delta, a warm area cooled by the bodies of water that flow into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Leo Steen is a label made by Leo Hansen, a Danish ex-sommelier now making wine in California. The sparkling Chenin comes from vines planted in 1979, with the fruit fermented and aged in old oak barrels before 14 months’ lees contact in the bottle. It's a crisp, lees-influenced example of California sparkling Chenin Blanc, with fleshy stone fruit aromas and a drying finish.
Both of these wines show the historic presence of Chenin Blanc in regions outside its traditional Loire home and the range of styles made from the variety. Drink Chenin!