Chenin Blanc got its name from its origin at a monastery in a subregion of Bourgogne, France called Montchanin in the 9th Century. From there it travelled to Anjou where it was called Plant d’Anjou then brought it to Touraine, France in the Loire Valley in the 15th Century where it became famous. It’s one of the parents of Sauvignon Blanc (which gives it its acidity) and also related to a grape called Trousseau (which gives Chenin Blanc its aromatic bouquet). One of Chenin Blanc’s parents is a grape called Savagnin which grows in the Alps (allowing Chenin Blanc to be adaptable in cool climates). In the 1600’s the Dutch settlers planted the Chenin Blanc in Vouvray and made a semi sparkling wine. It has a genetic twin called Agudelo that is believed to have originated in Galicia, Spain. The question comes into play as to whether Chenin Blanc originated in Spain as Agudelo and travelled to France or vice vera. In 1655, Jan van Riebeeck brought it to South Africa where it became the flagship white wine (sometimes called Steen) from that region. In warmer climates, it becomes more tropical. It’s a parent of Colombard, which does well in SoCal’s warmer climates as well as Israel, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
Chenin Blanc is extremely versatile and no two are alike. It is both reflective of what the wine makers does to the wine in the secondary aromas as well as of the terroir it is grown in. When made dry as a single varietal, such as in Touraine, France, it is crisp, with bright acidity, pear and honey notes with hints of wet stone, making it pair well with shellfish. In cooler area it has high acidity with hints of lime peel, whereas in warmer areas it has low acidity and hints of pineapple, melon and chamomile on the nose. In coastal areas, there is a salinity finish. Where there is a lot of granite, flinty notes come through. When grown in clay, there is more mouthfeel. As the vines get older, the flavors of the grapes get more intense.
In Vouvray it can be made semi sparkling, where in some residual sugar is left in the bottle with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. It smells like Honeysuckle, and bees wax with flavors of pears and brioche when sparkling. These will be labeled either Brut (dry) or Demi-Sec (for semi sweet).
In warm climates such as Santa Ynez, Chenin Blanc is often blended with Viognier and aged in neutral oak making it rounder and more Chardonnay-like.
The grapes need a long growing season. When the grapes are infected with botrytised rot, these become a syrupy sweet dessert wine with honey and marzipan notes that pair with Crème Brule and Pineapple Upside down Cake. Chenin Blanc can produce very large yields and must be cut back for more intense flavor profiles.
In the 1980’s, the most common white grapes in Napa were Colombard and Chenin Blanc, but used to make in expensive jug wines, soon after they fell out of favor. But over time, when seeing the high quality of these wines when the yield is cut back, they have piqued people’s interest again. Today, Chenin Blanc is the come back kid, thanks in part to the Chenin Blanc Association and Heritage designation in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
