It’s crisp, complex, has great fruit, and is a star of France’s Loire Valley. And no, we’re not talking about Sancerre, the Sauvignon Blanc appellation having a moment as wine drinkers turn increasingly to fresh whites with moderate levels of alcohol.
The other Loire white you should consider is Chenin Blanc, a variety that produces some remarkable and versatile wines that, unlike Sauvignon, can be found in a range of styles, from sparkling to dry to off-dry to sweet.
“The breadth of the aromatic profile of Chenin is so special that you can literally use any of the wine styles and put a bottle on the table and use it from start to finish, aperitif through dessert, and find something to pair with it,” says Sarah Hwang, a co-owner of Domaine Huet in Vouvray, perhaps the world’s most famous Chenin Blanc producer.
It’s hard to reduce that profile to a few descriptors, but what Loire Chenin does not have is the often racy brashness — the tartness and grassiness — of the Sauvignons. After a broad tasting in the Loire Valley over four days as part of the third Chenin Blanc International Celebration — aimed at raising the image and recognition of Chenin Blanc — what emerged for me was a gentler fruit profile, including, but not limited to: yellow apple, pear, stone and tropical fruits, citrus, almonds, and herbs. They are, to put it simply, quite easy to drink.
The best of them are full of complexity that comes from the predominantly limestone, clay, and flint soils where the grapes are grown. Loire winemakers like to call the minerality in Chenin a “saltiness” on the finish of the wines, though it’s not “salty” as we typically think of it. For me, it’s more textural, a “chalky” quality that frames the fruit.
Chenin is grown throughout the middle Loire, in the large Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine regions and their many sub-appellations. While Vouvray is the best known, others like white Chinon, an appellation famous for its reds, and the phenomenal Savennières and Jasnières, are worth seeking out. So are the Crémant de Loire wines, which, I was reminded on tasting a superb one at Domaine de Rocheville in Saumur-Champigny, are among the top non-Champagne French sparklers.
So why isn’t Chenin Blanc more front-and-center among wine drinkers given its versatility, food-friendliness, and ability to express the terroir in which it is grown, whether from the Loire Valley or South Africa, where Chenin is the most widely planted white grape?
I put the question to Nathalie Spielmann, a conference participant and marketing professor at NEOMA Business School in Reims, France, who specializes in wine.
She agrees with the contention that Chenin Blanc may suffer from an “otherness” compared with, say, Sauvignon Blanc. “There’s not as much availability, it doesn’t grow in as many places, and so it’s got a very specific identity to either the Loire or to South Africa,” she says, “and if you’re in the United States both of those places are far, one of them doesn’t speak English, and that makes it intimidating from the get-go.” She adds, “If we’re far from our consumers we have to do a better job of making the story more explicit and closer to them.”
That’s what Natalie and Brian Brown are trying to do with their Rococo lineup of small-production Chenins in Paso Robles, Calif. Natalie tells me at the conference that, “as much as there is negativity surrounding how millennials are drinking, how Gen Z is drinking, I think a lot of it comes down to how people are interested in trying new things.” And in that regard, she believes that Chenin “is well positioned. It’s easy to pronounce — and it tastes good.” Brian Brown adds that Chenin and Syrah are similar in that “you can grow them in multiple climates and achieve a high-quality wine.”
For Sarah Hwang at Domaine Huet, Chenin needs no defense. “I think that everybody needs to have a little bit more confidence and trust in the varietal and not buy into this idea, as you said, that it’s the ‘other white grape.’ No, it’s not. It’s this magical varietal that can produce balanced wines that age like no other varietal, even Riesling.”
And so, the next time you’re in the mood for a delicious, under-the-radar white, consider moving beyond “the Sancerre” and ask your server or retailer, “What Chenin Blancs do you have?” The wines, from my perspective, should be flying off the shelves.
On the list below, I focus mainly on dry Chenins from the Loire because they’re the most widely available in the U.S.
Here are 13 of the best Chenin Blancs from the Loire Valley:
Beatrice et Pascal Lambert Chinon ‘Le Droit Chenin’ 2023
Chinon is primarily a red-wine appellation known for its Cabernet Francs, but a small amount of Chenin Blanc is grown there. This Chenin is luscious and balanced with notes of pear, apricot, and a hint of baking spice.
Price: $22
Buy This Wine
Domaine Patrick Baudouin Anjou ‘Effusion’ 2022
Rich yet fresh at the same time, with pear, flinty minerals, and hints of mint and spice. The grapes are grown organically in schist, sandstone, and silica soils and the wine is aged in used oak barrels.
Price: $32
Buy This Wine
Arnaud Lambert Saumur Blanc ‘Clos de Midi’ 2023
From the coveted Brézé area of Saumur, this wine is bright and fresh with steely acidity that frames stone fruit flavors, especially white peach, along with lemon-lime, herbs, and a cream layer on the long finish.
Price: $29
Buy This Wine
Pierre Menard Anjou ‘Le Quart des Noëls’ 2022
Made from Chenin Blanc vines planted more than a century ago, the flinty nose announces this memorable wine along with notes of apricot, spicy citrus, and a touch of vanilla. The vines are farmed organically and the wine is aged in used barrels. One of the top Chenins of my tastings.
Price: $70
Buy This Wine
Domaine des Baumard Savennières ‘Clos du Papillon’ 2021
A rich and powerful Chenin Blanc made with grapes from the iconic Clos du Papillon vineyard in Savennières, the small but prestigious appellation whose wines are made for aging. I tasted the 2021 vintage, which offers very ripe pear and stone fruit flavors, a spicy finish, and great mouthfeel. (The 2018 and earlier vintages are available here.)
Price: $60
Buy This Wine
Francois et Julien Pinon Vouvray ‘Buvez du Bon Pinon’ 2023
From one of the historic Loire wineries, Francois Pinon and his son Julien turn out some of the top wines of Vouvray, including this cuvée from the oldest parcel on the estate. It’s fresh and angular with notes of green apple, white peach, lemon-lime, and an almond hint. It almost screams out for your favorite fish.
Price: $29
Buy This Wine
Domaine Huet Vouvray ‘Clos du Bourg’ 2021
From what many consider the benchmark winery of Vouvray, if not the entire Loire Valley, this dry Chenin Blanc is marked by balance and refreshing acidity. It offers aromas and flavors of yellow apple, white peach skin, herbs, white flowers, and a vanilla touch. A rich mouthfeel leads to a long finish.
Price: $40
Buy This Wine
Château de Plaisance Anjou Blanc ‘Ronceray’ 2023
This is a first-rate Chenin Blanc from the Anjou appellation showing notes of yellow apple, orange rind, and fresh citrus juice, along with floral touches and wet stone minerality. The vineyard has been farmed organically since 1995 and biodynamically since 2008.
Price: $47
Buy This Wine
Domaine de Bellivière Jasnières ‘Les Rosiers’ 2022
From the tiny, cool Jasnières appellation to the north of Chinon, this Chenin Blanc bursts with fruit, including yellow apple, white peach, orange, and lemon. But that’s only the start. There’s a honey note and a flinty minerality emerges as the wine opens up. It’s quite extraordinary.
Price: $34
Buy This Wine
Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray ‘Cuvée Silex’ 2022
There’s a good deal of oak in this organic Chenin Blanc but it’s well integrated with the flavors of red apple, mint and other herbs, and a vanilla layer. It’s also an under-$25 bargain as quality Loire Chenins go.
Price: $22
Buy This Wine
Domaine de Haute Perche Anjou Blanc 2023
This is another lovely example of dry Anjou Chenin Blanc grown in clay and schist soils. Pale gold in color with aromas of pear, apricot, almond, flint, and lemon-lime, the palate shows bright acidity and touches of honey, vanilla, and saline on the finish. It’s also another excellent Loire Chenin value.
Price: $17
Buy This Wine
Domaine des Aubuisières Vouvray ‘Cuvée de Silex’ 2023
There’s lots of complexity here, with crisp apricot and white peach aromas and flavors and hints of mint, almond, honeysuckle, and grapefruit. Grown in limestone and flint (silex) soils, the wine is aged in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats. The result is superb.
Price: $19
Buy This Wine
Domaine Huet Vouvray ‘Le Mont’ Demi-Sec 2023
You can drink this excellent wine now or hold it for a few (or many) years. About “demi-sec,” Benjamin Joliveau, Domaine Huet’s winemaker, says during a tasting in Huet’s cellar, “Remember, it’s semi-dry, not semi-sweet.” The wine shows notes of ripe citrus, a touch of pineapple, dried apricot, and herbs.
Price: $43
Buy This Wine
Next up: White Grillos from Sicily
