Looking for Mr Good Chenin

Loire Chenin Blanc is a meeting of place and variety that yields some the world’s best white wines. But it just doesn’t get the same respect as top Rieslings or Chardonnays. And frankly, I’m having a hard time finding any.

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I don’t want to rant, and I won’t stay at it for long. But I was startled and disappointed this week when I went Chenin-shopping at my two favorite local wine shops this week and found no Loire Chenin at all in one of them, and only a low-end offering from an industrial-size shipper at the other.

I suspect this has something to do with my state being one of only nine remaining U.S. states that still prohibit direct shipment from winery to consumer. The industry is probably looking at us now and saying, “Why bother?” Our choice diminishes, suggesting that liquor-distribution lobbyists lied (surprise!) when they argued that barring direct-to-buyer wine sales would not have any effect on consumer choice.

Feh!

But let’s not get bogged down in my problem. I found a nice South African Chenin Blanc at my neighborhood store (more on that below). The rest of you are free to indulge, assuming you don’t live in one of the eight backward states (Alabama, Delaware, Kentucky, Mississipi, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Utah and, with a small asterisk, Pennsylvania, according to Free The Grapes).

So, if you’d like to try a good Loire Vouvray, Montlouis, Saumur, Bonnezeaux, Coteaux du Layon, Quarts de Chaume or even a sparkling Crémant de la Loire, we hope you’ll drop by and join us as we talk about Chenin Blanc in general and France’s Loire Valley in particular in this month’s Wine Focus on our WineLovers Discussion Group (WLDG) and our WineLoversPage Facebook page.

You can read the discussion on the forum without registering, but if you’d like to participate in our conversations, you can quickly and easily join the forum via Facebook, using the “Social Login” button at the upper right corner of any forum page to register automatically and log in.

I look forward to seeing you in our wine social media. Welcome!

 

Today’s Sponsor:

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The Cellar Clearance Starts NowThe California Wine Club is making room for more wines. Treat yourself to award-winning, handcrafted wines priced as low as $7.99. Plus, with $1 shipping, you’ll save up to $36 in shipping on every case.
The wines they feature are typically handcrafted in very limited amounts, and in many cases, they are down to their last few cases (or bottles!) of each, so please shop early for the best selection.
You do not need to be a member to take advantage of this sale.  And, as always, every wine is fully guaranteed to be delicious.
The Cellar Clearance ends on June 15, 2016.
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Today’s Tasting Report

A. Rupert 2014 “Protea” Western Cape (South Africa) Chenin Blanc ($14.99)

Protea Chenin Blanc

Very clear straw color with just a hint of brass. Good, characteristic Chenin aromas, subtle and hard to pick out … white fruit, maybe a hint of pear and fig, a whiff of beeswax, a faint heavy-floral note; it’s pleasant and appealing overall. Mouth-filling and medium-bodied, coats the palate with tart, rich white-fruit flavors with citrus overtones. Good, firm acidity. 13% alcohol, and at least nearly dry, only the juicy fruit giving a slight impression of sweetness. Its mouth-coating nature imparts an extremely long finish with a citric orange-blossom impression that takes a long time to fade. U.S. importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, Ill. (May 4, 2016)

FOOD MATCH: This aromatic Chenin would go nicely with a range of poultry, fish or cheese dishes; it would fare well with spicy, not too fiery curries. It was excellent with a spring pasta dish, fettuccine with a pesto of fresh garden-picked spinach and arugula with walnuts, garlic, Parmigiano and olive oil.

WHEN TO DRINK: It’s absolutely ready to drink, but Chenin Blanc can be a worthy ager, so if you have access to good cellar conditions, it couldn’t hurt to set a few bottles aside to start sampling in five years or so.

VALUE: Excellent value for the price. Wine-Searcher.com lists a $16 average U.S. retail, but prices vary widely, to a low of $8.99 at one Florida store and many in the lower teens, so it may pay to shop around if direct wine shipments are available where you live.

WEB LINK
The U.S. importer offers a short fact sheet on this wine here.

The wine bottle, by the way, is decorated with a stylish painted-on paisley-look pattern; all the details are on a removable “back label” with a link to an interesting page suggesting ways to reuse the empty bottle, with submitted photos of the bottle (or part of it) in use as a vase, a glass, an olive-oil container or what-have-you.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for A. Rupert “Protea” Western Cape Chenin Blanc on Wine-Searcher.com.

 

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