Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Jasnières, directly north of Tours, is one of the Loire’s coolest areas for chenin. This one grows in clay-limestone soils, a selection from the Janvier family’s 15 acres of mature chenin vines (35 to 40 years old). It’s all about fresh quince fruit, clean and mouthwatering, with a delicate sweetness to enrich the finish. Give this time in your cellar and it should evolve into a beauty.
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.
Stretching east along the steep banks of the Loire River, Touraine is a major part of the Middle Loire. Soil variations of clay, sand, tuffeau and gravel throughout its subregions support both white and red varieties. Chinon and Bourgueil remain the source of Loire’s finest Cabernet Franc; various styles of the most outstanding Chenin blanc come from Vouvray and Montlouis.