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$25.98
This zero dosage Brut is a blend of 90% Chenin Blanc, 5% Chardonnay, and 5% Cabernet Franc. All the fruit is drawn from old (50 years average age) vines planted on limestone slopes Read More...
which were organically farmed. The first fermentation was took place in 3 to 4 year ols oak barrels and was dirven by indigenous yeasts. This sparkler opens with facinating bakery and stone fruit aromas while the palate is all about taught melon fruit overlain with notions of fossils and chalk.
$38.99
WINE SPECTATOR 96 POINTS - "Bold, lush and tropical in feel, with creamed papaya and mango notes seamlessly gliding together, while coconut, green plum, ginger, Read More...
quince and white peach flavors fill in the background. Offers a succulent finish, but stays pure and steady thanks to perfectly embedded acidity. Best from 2015 through 2030. 250 cases imported."
$46.99
WINE SPECTATOR 94 POINTS - "Plump, ripe and full, featuring a slightly exotic edge to the guava, mango and creamed peach flavors, before a racier side Read More...
of green plum, honeysuckle and plantain moves in behind. Still youthfully raw, with the fruit bouncing rather than gliding for now. The finish is long, revealing an echo of green almond that bodes well for cellaring. Best from 2015 through 2026. 100 cases imported."
$66.99
WINE SPECTATOR 96 POINTS - "Bold, lush and tropical in feel, with creamed papaya and mango notes seamlessly gliding together, while coconut, green plum, ginger, Read More...
quince and white peach flavors fill in the background. Offers a succulent finish, but stays pure and steady thanks to perfectly embedded acidity. Best from 2015 through 2030. 250 cases imported."
$23.98
Positively delightful. Lime, citrus and lychee fruit lend a thirst-quenching quality to this 100% Chenin Blanc. Make no mistake, this is a "funky" wine, but in a good way. Its style Read More...
is naturally fizzy, using the traditional style of Vouvray. The wine is aged in barrel prior to bottling without the addition of sulphur dioxide. Unfiltered.
A husband-and-wife operation in the Loire Valley, the Breton's built their reputation on making pure Cabernet Francs from Bourgueil and Chinon using Biodynamic viticulture and vinification. Soon, they will be just as well known for their stupendous whites.
A husband-and-wife operation in the Loire Valley, the Breton's built their reputation on making pure Cabernet Francs from Bourgueil and Chinon using Biodynamic viticulture and vinification. Soon, they will be just as well known for their stupendous whites.
$22.99
WINEMAKER'S NOTES: - "Clean, crisp and dry on the nose with some typical notes of apples and pears. The wine is bone dry with a chalky texture on entry and displays a good structure, Read More...
with a lively apple-like acidity running through the wine. There is a hint of spritz coming from a little residual carbon-dioxide which helps to lift the impression of freshness and acts as a preservative. This is for immediate drinking, but could be expected to age for three to five years."
$56.99
ROBERT PARKER 93 POINTS - "
Sourced from Chenin Blanc vines planted in 1967, with natural wild yeast fermentation, and raised in about 85% new oak, Read More...
the flagship 2009 The FMC has a beautifully defined, intoxicating bouquet with lemon curd, frangipane, almond and just a touch of nutmeg. The palate has a rounded, waxy texture with wonderful harmony and precision. There are subtle flavours of dried apricot, brioche, vanilla, a touch of honey (perhaps a little botrytis) and a hint of spice. Seductive, harmonious and very focussed, The FMC is a sublime expression of South African Chenin Blanc. Drink now-2020"
WINE SPECTATOR 92 POINTS - " Ripe and lush, with delicious creamed pear, ginger, heather and fig kept honest by fresh acidity that's well-embedded on the toasty finish. This really stretches out in the glass too, with pear eau-de-vie and hazelnut oil notes lingering on the finish. Gorgeous. Drink now through 2014. 200 cases imported."
This iconic Chenin is a benchmark South African bottling, and what Ken Forrester considers to be the ultimate expression of the Chenin Blanc grape. The grapes are grown in Ken Forrester’s estate vineyards at the foot of the Helderberg in Stellenbosch.
The vineyards are farmed organically, and everything is done by hand. Grapes for the FMC are hand selected from a single block of low yielding Chenin bush vines planted in 1974. Each vine is pruned to 5 or 6 shoots, with 1 bunch per shoot. They are planted in Clovelly — a deep yellow sandy soil — on south-southwest-facing slopes.
(Cape Classic web site) .
WINE SPECTATOR 92 POINTS - " Ripe and lush, with delicious creamed pear, ginger, heather and fig kept honest by fresh acidity that's well-embedded on the toasty finish. This really stretches out in the glass too, with pear eau-de-vie and hazelnut oil notes lingering on the finish. Gorgeous. Drink now through 2014. 200 cases imported."
This iconic Chenin is a benchmark South African bottling, and what Ken Forrester considers to be the ultimate expression of the Chenin Blanc grape. The grapes are grown in Ken Forrester’s estate vineyards at the foot of the Helderberg in Stellenbosch.
The vineyards are farmed organically, and everything is done by hand. Grapes for the FMC are hand selected from a single block of low yielding Chenin bush vines planted in 1974. Each vine is pruned to 5 or 6 shoots, with 1 bunch per shoot. They are planted in Clovelly — a deep yellow sandy soil — on south-southwest-facing slopes.
(Cape Classic web site) .
$9.98
This pale white gold colored Chenin Blanc is a very good value. It opens with a wet stone, white pepper, and green pear bouquet. On the palate, this wine is light bodied, crisp, and Read More...
slightly acidic. The flavor profile is a pleasant mineral infused tangy green apple with hints of white pepper and spice. The finish is rather dry and refreshing. This is a perfect summer wine and a great value. Pair with steamers and drawn butter at your summer clambake on the beach.' Enjoy
$26.98
Fans of Vouvray will need no introduction to Domaine Huet, as this biodynamically-farmed estate is probably the most famed and highly regarded producer in the region. While best known Read More...
for their still wines, Huet’s sparkling wines are also stellar. The bubbles for this all-Chenin Blanc fizz were created with a variation of the methode ancestrale-- where the wine is bottled before the first fermentation is finished. This technique results in a more gentle effervescence with a pressure of four atmospheres vs. six for Champagne. Winemaker Noel Pinquet (now retired) aged this 2007 for four years on the yeast prior to disgorgement. After the yeast was removed, Noel added a dosage of still Demi-Sec Vouvray to create a “medium” Brut with 10gr/l of residual sugar. The result is a straw yellow bubbly with the thinnest imaginable strands of bubbles that lift aromas of meadow flowers, biscuits and ripe pears. The pear notions carry over to the palate where they are complemented with flavors of dough, honey and nectarines while inflections of minerals and lemon curd linger in the finish. This is a flat-out charmer that surpasses many famous Champagnes we could name in terms of elegance, flavor interest and value.
$7.98
This 100% Chenin Blanc from Perdeberg region of Paarl, South Africa just screams. The vines are 15-45 year old un-irrigated bush vines. Only free-run juice is used in producing this Read More...
wine which exudes aromas of tropical fruit, guava and melon. On the palate, crisp and bold slightly sweet citrus backs a refreshing acidity and minerality. A Favorite Value! Great with seafood, salads a great sipper.
$21.99
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Since 2003 been certified biodynamic. The Clos du Breuil is always vinified to dryness and thus bottled as a sec, and it might thus be considered the linchpin of the Chidaine portfolio.
$9.98
Pine Ridge has one of the most solid portfolios in California crafting flavorful Cabernets, Merlots, and Chardonnays; but what often strikes us most is their Chenin Blanc - Viognier blend! Read More...
This wine has been one of our perennial favorites for years. It is a rather unconventional blend, but once you taste the flavors and the refreshing qualities of the wine, we know you’ll be hooked just as we have been!
Pine Ridge’s winemaker Michael Beaulac likes the Chenin Blanc (79% of the blend) harvested early to maintain its bright acidity, while Viognier (21% of the blend) brings its signature fragrant bouquet. The 2011 bottling of this distinctive blend opens with a dazzling spectrum of fruit and floral aromas, from crisp white peach, honeyed pear and sweet mango, to touches of fresh jasmine blossom and white chai tea. Filled with bright and juicy fruits, the palate flaunts flavors of succulent white nectarine, candied pineapple, green fig and subtle grapefruit. The crisp and slightly off-dry flavor profile lasts well through the clean and refreshing finish.
Pine Ridge’s winemaker Michael Beaulac likes the Chenin Blanc (79% of the blend) harvested early to maintain its bright acidity, while Viognier (21% of the blend) brings its signature fragrant bouquet. The 2011 bottling of this distinctive blend opens with a dazzling spectrum of fruit and floral aromas, from crisp white peach, honeyed pear and sweet mango, to touches of fresh jasmine blossom and white chai tea. Filled with bright and juicy fruits, the palate flaunts flavors of succulent white nectarine, candied pineapple, green fig and subtle grapefruit. The crisp and slightly off-dry flavor profile lasts well through the clean and refreshing finish.
$26.95
Winemaker's Note- This is our largest production, from grapes grown on the slopes of the Loire, the heart of the Layon and Saumur. Refreshing acidity. Vinified in 2 -5 year-Read More...
old barrels. A blend of limestone and shist terroirs. A polished, cleaner, more direct style on the nose than the 2009 equivalent tasted alongside.
Lightly polished, with a supple style on the palate, and a little bit of fatness here. Low level acidity, sitting behind the fruit, giving it a rather rounded feel, although with a nice minerality to it.
Lightly polished, with a supple style on the palate, and a little bit of fatness here. Low level acidity, sitting behind the fruit, giving it a rather rounded feel, although with a nice minerality to it.
$22.98
This sublime bottling from Chenin master Bruwer Raats sets the standard for South African Chenin Blanc, consistently garnering 90+ scores from Wine Spectator. A portion of the wine Read More...
is fermented and aged in barrel, resulting in a rich, profound offering that strikes a perfect balance between elegance and power. Luscious flavors of honeyed pear, butterscotch, citrus, and ginger and delicate hints of mineral and spice carry through on the seemingly endless finish.
$19.95
Montlouis Cuvée Les Borderies : This is Xavier’s demi-sec from a one hectare (2.5 acres) parcel named Les Borderies where most of the vines date from 1922 (the average age is 80). Read More...
The wine is raised for six months in older demi-muids barrels.
$32.99
WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS - "The Baumard 2008 Savennieres Clos du Papillon has a hard act to follow given the quality of the vintage’s “standard” bottling. Read More...
Pronounced nutty piquancy and wet stone in the nose as well as on the palate here mingle with smoky snuffed candle wick and black tea; quince and white peach. Like the corresponding regular bottling from the Clos St.-Yves, this displays a lighter touch and drier taste than its 2006 and 2007 counterparts, here with an almost austere combination of peach kernel, crushed stone, and graphite mineral messages in its finish. I personally prefer the relative delicacy and refreshment of the former bottling today, but this Clos du Papillon grips so authoritatively and combines such a sense of stuffing and stone without becoming heavy or bitter than it must also be counted a singular success, likely to keep well for a decade and perhaps beyond. Indeed, these are the finest Savennieres that I can recall having tasted from this address."
$29.95
Born and raised in France, to a family of Calvados producers, Christophe Durand moved to Cape Town in 1995. Beginning as a supplier of premium French wine barrels and very much involved Read More...
in winemaking, it was only a matter of time until he brought together his knowledge and passion for fine wines into creating his own. After laying his hands on a small and beautiful vineyard in the Simonsberg area, he created his own label, called “Vins d’Orrance.” We are also featuring his Chardonnay this month for our cover feature (below, right) but just had to highlight this amazing Chenin Blanc. This is as complex and rich a Chenin Blanc as we’ve had-- from pretty much anywhere. French in style, the South African terroir shows through brilliantly. A little bit about the process: for his white wines, all bunches are pressed, left for 24 hours to settle nicely, then racked straight into 225-liter Burgundian barrels where the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation will occur (this wine spent 9 months in 3rd fill French oak). All of Durand’s whites are kept on clean lees with regular battonage and soft filtration before bottling. The nose on Kama (transated from Sanskrit as ‘pleasure of the senses’) is kaleidoscopic: notes of wet stone, white florals, lemon grass, baking spices, stone fruits, a touch of petroleum and hints of creaminess captivated us. The palate was as deep with gorgeous, lush viscousity kept perfectly aloft with brilliant acidity. Flavors of white peach and mixed stone fruits, minerality, a touch of sweet spice balanced atop neutral oak, all seductively silky in texture, resolve in a flourish of flavorful depth, wondrous length and sated desires (well, perhaps taking just one more taste...)...
$23.95
This is 100% Chenin Blanc that is semi-sweet, made by the Master of the Loire, Francois Chidaine.
WINE ADVOCATE 92-93 POINTS - "Quince preserves, honey, Read More...
WINE ADVOCATE 92-93 POINTS - "Quince preserves, honey, Read More...
and high-toned herbal and floral essences on the nose of Chidaine's 2009 Vouvray Le Bouchet - from a site with octogenarian vines between his Clos Baudoin and Huet's Clos du Bourg and not harvested until October 19 - reveal its proclivity for noble rot (even when picked in the first week of October). This is a demi-sec in all but name.. Tangerine cream, candied grapefruit rind, quince preserves, and nougat inform a rich, creamy palate that nonetheless incorporates a welcome persistence of juicy fresh citrus. This combines the best aspects of typical 2009s of its genre with the sense of levity, refreshment, and overall elegance that Francois Chidaine has almost uniquely managed to capture this year. Expect a wine that will be worth following for at least two decades."
$11.95
WINE SPECTATOR 89 POINTS: "Plump and off-dry, with up-front quince, green melon and fig notes and a rounded, friendly finish. Pure enough to cellar Read More...
a bit as well. Drink now through 2013. 2,000 cases made." –JM
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