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Chenin Blanc is a grape grown mainly in the Loire or South Africa. Sadly, the majority of examples from South Africa are cheap, bland, dilute wines that have little to recommend them. There are definitely examples of really very good South African Chenin, and I had a delicious one from New Zealand recently, but in general terms, the Loire is the place to look for good Chenin. The wines we tasted were between £2.96 and £7.99 and so not particularly fine wines, but we found a few we liked. Push the boat out a little further and they become very interesting indeed. Chenin grapes are naturally acidic and when grown somewhere cool, like Northern France, this is reflected strongly in the wine.
Our favourite wine was Jacques’ Blend, Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France 2005, which is a mere £3.99 from Sainsbury’s and is a very attractive wine indeed for that price. It smelt of pineapple and was just off dry – the dryness indicator on the back label showed 2, with 1 being completely dry and 5 being a rich and gloopy pudding wine. It had zingy, delicious acidity with a clean, tangy finish on which Alex picked up a hint of honey.
Les Andides, Saumur 2005, which is a very good buy at £4.99 from Waitrose also smelt of pineapple, which is not something you’d expect from French Chenin. The wine was very well balanced in the mouth, with a nice feel and, Alex thought, a sweet and sour finish. This is a very good description of Loire Chenin. They generally have a touch of sweetness, even if they’re described as dry, and then the tangy acidity counters with sourness.
Maison des Princes, Vouvray, Demi-Sec 2005 is £5.99 from Morrisons. It smelt attractively of marmalade, which suggests the grapes had a little infection from Noble Rot, which is a good thing on a sweet wine. The taste was pretty and sweet, but with the tang of fresh grapefruit juice on the finish. Very attractive indeed.
There was then quite a jump in marks down to Marks & Spencer’s Domaine de la Pouvraie and Oddbins’ Chateau de Fesles. The Pouvraie smelt of wet wool, which is typical but not terribly attractive. It was medium dry and we felt it was a little cloying. Again, typical, but we had three examples of Chenin made in much more attractive styles. Fesles was a little darker in colour than the others and had a touch of pineapple and coconut, which led me down the Pina Colada route. It was full bodied and quite pithy. Betty thought it would be good with food. It was pretty dry.
Majestic’s Anjou Blanc was hollow and short, with a gaggy finish and Asda’s £2.96 effort was musty on the nose with nowhere near enough acidity, which I think we can put down to its abject cheapness. In early summer I’ll try to taste some really cheap wines, say sub £3.50 and let you know which ones are better than expected. An interesting exercise which may not excite the panel.