Chenin Blanc

  • Aromas and flavors : apple, cinnamon, quince, pears, melons, peaches, honeyed
  • AKA: Vouvray, Saumur, Anjou, Coteaux du Layon, Pinot Blanco in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina, Steen in South Africa, native region for chenin is the middle Loire Valley (where the grape is often called Pineau de la Loire),
  • Fragrant and lightly sweet
  • Chenin blanc makes Crisp, dry table wines, light sparkling wines, long-lived, unctuous, nectar-like dessert wines, and even brandy
  • Nearly all the truly memorable Chenin Blancs are French, from Saumur and Savennières (dry), Anjou and Vouvray (off-dry), Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume (dessert), and Crémant de Loire (sparkling).
  • It is subject to noble rot, Botrytis cinerea, and for that reason is harvested as late as possible, sometimes in november.
  • Chenin blanc is France’s most successful export variety
  • Nearly a third of vines in South Africa are chenin blanc
  • In California, it is the third most widely planted white wine grape
  • Tendency to early bud break and late ripening suits chenin blanc to grow in climates too warm for many vinifera types.
  • Chenin Blanc wines such as Vouvray and Saumur age very well