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Chenin Blanc from the Loire

By Matt Penman
June 10, 2021
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The wild Loire river runs from the Atlantic ocean deep into France's center, and there is beautiful, diverse, and historically under-appreciated wine throughout its entire length. But the middle section, from Angers to the city of Tours, is where Chenin Blanc rules. A varietal with a real talent for expressing the land, it sucks up available minerals and gives wines of generosity or austerity depending on the soil and location—not to mention the personality of the winemaker.

Exposed limestone cliffs are a singular feature of this part of the Loire, and walking past one of their many caves you can feel a blast of cold air even during summer. The cliffs are a natural wine fridge and were used to hide precious vintages during World War II. Soil compositions vary, but the grape's defining feature is a racy backbone of acidity that holds even the riper, plumper styles together and pairs well with food.

From the intense wines of Savennières in the west, through the simpler Anjou appellation that also gives us decadent sweet wines, to the honeyed bottlings of the Vouvray and Montlouis regions and the diverse expanse of the Touraine province in the east, there is maybe no better example in the world of the range of one grape. We're trying to keep the bottle price under $40 here, and there is still so much value in the Loire (despite the recent tariffs on many European wines).

If you want to try something really crazy, seek out Clos de la Coulée Serrant. Every vintage is different, and many are an event. For pure class, look for Domaine Huet with their three distinct vineyards and varying levels of sweetness. You might cry at the beauty.

2018 Les Terres Blanches Les 3 Poiriers

By Matt Penman
Bass

About the Wine

Ah the Chenins of the Loire, one of the great wines of the world in my humble opinion. I spent a week biking shakily from winery to winery in 2009 after a tour in France, and was blown away by the range of the wines and the commitment of the winemakers, and have spent the last 12 years seeking out more and more of them. On the nose this is classic Anjou Blanc; honey, wild flowers and pear, and on the palate you have a lively dancing yet focused wine, with a touch of bitter grassy notes and just the right amount of oiliness to round out the mouth feel. Pretty proud of my pairing, as we drank it with a lemony pasta of white asparagus and corn, with the wine loving the grana padano cheese sliced on top... this wine also has incredible length, and towards the end of the bottle, (as it approached room temperature) I noticed more smokey and stoney flavors. My only criticism would be the slightly "hot" alcohol presence that tended to jump out from the overall structure. Regardless, I will definitely seek out more bottlings from this husband and wife team who have been working their land in the village of Oiron with as little intervention as possible since 2004. This is beautiful wine respectfully chaperoned from the soil to your glass.