Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Hold on to your hat! The nose of this extraordinary dry chenin blanc is right on the borderline between summer flowers and floral hone, and it pulls you inexorably into this extremely vibrant and mineral wine. Astonishing concentration for the barely medium-bodied palate, the minerality cascading over you as if you were standing directly beneath an Alpine waterfall. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. It shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. Somm Secret—Landing in South Africa in the mid 1800s, today the country has double the acreage of Chenin Blanc planted compared to France. There is also a new wave of dedicated producers committed to restoring old Chenin vines.
Known for its delightful whites and sparkling Pétillant and Mousseux, made predominantly of Chenin blanc, Anjou has a temperate and dry maritime climate. The region's limited temperature variations are admiringly referred to locally as the “douceur angevine,” or “Anjou sweetness.” Fruit forward rosé and red wines from Cabernet Franc and Gamay merit Anjou its success within the Loire subregions.