Chenin Blanc

Made from purchased grapes in northeast ohio.  Very nice wine.  Varietally correct.  Light golden in color.  The nose is clean with slight orange peel, some peach and a hint of minerality.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Nice on its own, this will work with many foods.  A good picnic wine due to its diversity.  Drink over the next year or two.  

Consumed at the Elewana Tortilis Camp Amboseli in Kenya.  This is a lovely inexpensive South African chenin Blanc.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has peach and slight mango notes.  Clean.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, peah with slight orange zest.  Good finish.  This worked well with African vegetarian food and in general would go nicely with lighter dishes as well as on its own.  Drink over the next year.  

This is 100% Chenin Blanc from vines ranging from 70 to 86 years old.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with orange peel, minerality, and slight spice.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous texture.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet with notes of orange peel and nice minerality.  Complex and deep.  Long finish.  This is excellent on its own and will work well with foods that can match.  It would be nice with chicken salad.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

This was not a proper bottle.  It had a lot of froth and bubbles and there should not have been any.  My pour was one of the first and no off flavors were detected that might have suggested refermentation in the bottle, but the amount of bubbles was for too much to just  be trapped CO2.  Others who sampled from farther into the bottle noted off flavors and lots of "crud" in the bottle.  Not sure how prevalent this will be, but buyer beware.  

Another excellent Chenin Blanc from South Africa.  This also has 10% Semillon blended in.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has apples with a slight orange peel and minerality.  Medium to full bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is crisp and delicious.  Apples, salinity, and minerality.  Long finish.  This is very nice on its own and will work with a wide variety of food.  A nice choice for grilled snapper.  Drink over the next ten years.  

Chappellet has long been devoted to its Chenin Blanc, even when it wasn’t really in favor. This iteration - frankly the best in years - offers lovely aromatics and a soft mouth feel, a white wine that doesn’t want to be aggressive, but one that seduces you. There are notes of light resin, lemon peel, lime kefir, hints of apricot, tangerine and orange zest. The acidity is what really supports this wine, allowing it to be a food companion for a variety of diverse foods, or even a stand-alone cocktail wine with a cheese platter.