Chenin Blanc
Overview
Chenin Blanc is the great white grape of the Anjou-Touraine heartland of the Loire Valley, producing wines of extraordinary range: bone-dry (Sec), off-dry (Demi-Sec), and sweet (Moelleux/Liquoreux), as well as sparkling (Vouvray Pétillant). In top sites like Vouvray and Savennières, Chenin Blanc achieves remarkable longevity — 50–80 years or more. The hallmarks are quince, apple, lanolin, beeswax, honeycomb, chalky minerality, and (with age) honey, apricot, and dried fruit. High natural acidity allows extended aging regardless of sweetness level.
Key Regions
- Vouvray — Sec, Demi-Sec, Moelleux, Pétillant; Domaine Huët is the benchmark
- Savennières — dry only; Domaine du Closel; powerful, austere, very long-lived
- Saumur-Champigny — white Saumur from Chenin; Domaine Clotilde Legrand, Domaine Guiberteau (Brézé)
- Chinon — Chinon Blanc (minor); Domaine Bernard Baudry
Style Notes
The sweet/dry spectrum of Chenin Blanc from the Loire is unique in the wine world. The same grape from the same producer can yield a bone-dry, searingly mineral wine (Sec) or a lusciously sweet late-harvest wine (Moelleux), both capable of 50+ year aging. The acid backbone is the key — even at high residual sugar, Chenin’s acidity keeps wines fresh.
In Vouvray, the Secs typically open in youth, close for years of hibernation, then re-emerge. Demi-Secs integrate faster and offer the best balance of complexity and drinkability. The 2023 vintage from Huët produced exceptional Demi-Sec and Moelleux — an “old school throwback” per Gilman.
Synonyms
- Pineau de la Loire (older French usage)
- Steen (South Africa)
My Tastings
(none yet)
Sources
sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC May-June 2024 #111.txt— Annual Loire Report, Vouvray/Savennières/Saumur sections (pages 102–117): full 2023 Huët range, 2022 Pinon, 2021 Closel, 2016 Guiberteau Brézé