Winemaker Notes
The color is light yellow with brilliant reflections. The nose is citrus fruits and white flowers. The palate is fresh fruits and has good tension.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very intense, sliced-pear nose that needs some time to reveal the lemon-zest and floral notes. This is a powerhouse dry chenin blanc that edges towards opulence, but has almost razor-sharp acidity that keeps it tightly in check. Then comes the complex spice and minerality of the bold yet super clean finish.
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Vinous
The 2018 Savennières Roche aux Moines has become a savory, layered style as its primary citrus tension has yielded. Its shoulders are rounding and lowering, giving a full-bodied mouthful that doesn't become heavy. Its power and intent are clear from start to finish. Like a high-quality Burgundian Chardonnay that's starting to mature, it is quite pure. This being a great site for a non-aromatic grape variety, its place shines. Flavor descriptors fall to the wayside in place of textures and words like purity, essence and drive.
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.