Chenin blanc is a white grape grown primarily in the Loire Valley in France. It produces a wine that smells like apples, honey, and sometimes candle wax. It’s always a touch salty and has high levels of acidity, which helps make chenin blanc exceptionally food-friendly and refreshing. You’ll like these wines if you like Chablis, albariño, or were just one those kids who loved to crush WarHeads. There are clean and precise examples, as well as those which are made by natural winemakers that are more savory than fruit driven. Here are some of our favorites, from organic single vineyards.
Thibaud Boudignon, Savennieres "Clos de la Hutte" 2018
A couple years ago, Thibaud Boudignon was said to be ‘up and coming’; now he’s just one of the greats. His wines are described as having lots of “minerality" and “a tight core of saline terroir enveloped within ripe medium bodied fruit.” We’re pretty good at wine and we aren’t even really sure what that means. The point is, the wines are very rare and very good. This one is his rarest.
Domaine de Taille Aux Loups, Montlouis ‘Clos Hochet’ 2019
This is a classic, all-purpose chenin blanc from Jacky Blot, the old wiseman of the region. It’s extra dry, and tastes the way an apple orchard in autumn sells. Jacky Blot makes wines the same way the great in Burgundy do– through long, slow fermentation in old oak barrels. The result is a wine that is rounded, lively, and more savory than sweet.
Brendan Stater-West, 'Bréze' Saumur Blanc 2018
Chenin blanc is a white wine that should always be zesty, crisp, and bright with acidity. If you've been a devoted sauvignon blanc drinker, trying chenin blanc instead will show that you've grown up a bit—like doing the Sunday crossword puzzle, or ordering a cortado. Brendan Stater-West, a young producer in the French village of Saumur, makes some of our favorite. This wine is salty and tastes the way an apple orchard smells.
Bois-Brinçon, 'Les Saules de Montbenault' Anjou 2015
This organic, biodynamic chenin blanc is from a winery founded in 1219– a time when Marco Polo was still a living explorer and not yet a bizarre children's game. It comes from a small town in the Loire named Anjou, and tastes like the finest wildflower honey, if honey were dry. It's grown on rare volcanic soil, so its smokey, salty, and savory too.
