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So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

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Bob Parsons Alberta

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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Wed Oct 27, 2010 1:10 am

Thanks Peter, I will be keeping an eye open for the `09 when it gets here. The botrytis note was not to the forefront for me, plus I would never have guessed that it saw some oak.
Do you know if any winery is blending CB with Viognier? Might make an interesting match don`t you think?
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Peter May » Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:04 am

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote: I would never have guessed that it saw some oak.


For me, with white wines that is a plus..

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Do you know if any winery is blending CB with Viognier? Might make an interesting match don`t you think


In SAf Chenin seems to get blended with everything. KWV do a Chenin-Viognier blend (which I have not tasted) and Jeremy Borg of Painted Wolf wines does an impressive white 'Cape Blend' called Lekanyane
made of Chenin Blanc 51%, Viognier 26%, Verdelho 23% -- see http://www.paintedwolfwines.com/?page_id=560
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:55 pm

Friend of mine has seen some wines from this winery in Calgary.

http://www.paintedwolfwines.com/?page_id=3

Although not about CB, Sarah Ahmed asks some questions/makes some comments about S Africa..>

http://www.thewinedetective.co.uk/blog/ ... -releases/
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Peter May » Fri Oct 29, 2010 12:47 pm

I was at that SAf event yesterday and tasted the Painted Wolf white blend.

Very subdued on the nose but opens up in mouth with lots of complexity and delicious spicy finish.

My local independent has championed Jeremy's wines from the beginning so I'll be getting some bottles.

He makes a good Pinotage too...
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri Oct 29, 2010 4:21 pm

Peter May wrote:I was at that SAf event yesterday and tasted the Painted Wolf white blend.

Very subdued on the nose but opens up in mouth with lots of complexity and delicious spicy finish.

My local independent has championed Jeremy's wines from the beginning so I'll be getting some bottles.

He makes a good Pinotage too...


Peter, interesting comment on the "subdued nose". I noted the same thing yesterday when sampling some Portuguese whites at a trade show.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Sun Oct 31, 2010 2:00 am

Tim York wrote:My son is monopolising the computer and has buried all my bookmarks, so I have just found my way back here. By chance I drank a Savennières Roche aux Moines last night. Very nice and a TN will follow.

I too have little experience of SA Chenin but I did try one which I quite liked about a year ago but cannot remember the producer's name so digging the TN out will be difficult.

PS Not so difficult to find as I feared. Here is my TN of May 3, 2009 -

Lammershoek Chenin Blanc Barrique 2007 – Alc. 14.5% - (€11,50)
Reference to “barrique”, “roble”, “oak- ageing”, “fûts de chêne” always makes me suspicious, so I nearly abstained from buying this bottle in spite of recommendation. I’m glad I did buy it.
C: Light greenish yellow.
N: White fruit with notes of cigar box, sandalwood and nutmeg.
P: Medium bodied, slightly sweet with spicy fruit and a caressing mouth-feel playing variations on the aromas from the nose and showing complexity, good length and enough smooth acidity for balance. Not at all like a Loire chenin but my first from outside that area where I find real interest and character; 16/20 QPR.


Tim, I have just finished my `08 Lammershoek. This wine is a stunner and I wish I had discovered earlier. I have read a lot about the winemaking team so was sure this was going to be a great bottle of wine. The Pinotage is selling well too downtown which is a surprise. Will post asap.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Mon Nov 01, 2010 4:17 pm

WTN: `08 Lammershoek Chenin Blanc, Swartland SA.

After reading TN from Tim York on the `07 Barrique, I managed to track down this bottle in a mum and pop operation here in Edmonton. There were two bottlers on the shelf but on a revisit yesterday, I found 12 more. This wine is a stunner! Owner Paul Kritzel is from Austria, bush vines worked by hand.

Good natural cork, 14% alc, $22 Cdn, 9 months old oak.

Color. Deepish yellow, no green.

Nose. Took a good hour to open up. Understated oak here, hint of creamyness, rich, apple. Minerally, straw, herby nose, no wool! "Floral" from across the table.

Palate. Initial impression was some sweetness, nutty tone on finish, apple and apricot. Very good acidity, some butterscotch very memorable here. Quite a lovely expression of CB here, appealing complexity. Will cellar more to see what evolves.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Joy Lindholm » Tue Nov 02, 2010 11:44 am

I just tried my first South African Chenin Blanc this weekend. Had a sample bottle of the 2008 Graham Beck Gamekeeper’s Reserve with eggs & bacon for Sunday brunch and was delighted at how simple, but lovely this wine was. It seems like it goes for about $12-15 retail, and I’m sure it is a mass-market wine, but I was surprised as how tasty it was. The residual sugar and balanced acidity was perfect with the bacon.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Thu Nov 04, 2010 9:26 am

Graham Beck turns out some very nice wines. I enjoyed your remark on mass market, look at some of the QPR wines La Vieille Ferme produces in the Rhone!
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Joy Lindholm » Thu Nov 04, 2010 9:36 am

Those look interesting! I'll have to keep an eye out for them!
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Tim York » Fri Nov 05, 2010 1:10 pm

Chenin- Wine of origin Western Cape-2010 - bottled in Belgium by Delhaize SA - Alc.12.5% - (€3,49) was bought by Germaine for use in cooking and I took a sip. It was surprisingly good and uncomplicated with fresh fruity fragrance on the nose, dry fruity palate with lively acidity and grip on the finish; 14.5/20++ QPR.

For dinner, I have got out a bottle of the "real thing", Jasnières 07 from Bellivière. Stay tuned.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri Nov 05, 2010 7:23 pm

Will stay glued to the screen here Tim. I do have to post a note on a very nice Coteaux de l`Aubance but I will wait cos I don`t want to spoil your moment!!
Oh, DeVines now stocking Lammershoek CB, grin wink.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Tim York » Sat Nov 06, 2010 4:58 am

Jasnières Les Rosiers 2007 – Domaine de la Bellivière, Éric Nicolas – Alc.13.5% (€17). This is the real thing. The nose was a little subdued but showing quiet notes of wax, apple, quince and minerals. The palate was not quite bone dry (I guess 3-4g RS), medium bodied, long, brilliantly focussed with a certain roundness and tenderness tempering the crisp acidity and stony and flinty minerality. I am confident that there will be more aromatic development with time but I love this already; 16.5/20 now with ++ potential.

Jasnières is a small appellation in the north of Touraine close to la Loire's tribhutary, le Loir. It produces white wines, dry, sweet and in-between, from the Chenin blanc grape. The early 20th century gourmet writer, Curnonsky, is quoted as saying "trois fois par siècle, le jasnières est le meilleur vin blanc du monde?". With global warming and growers like Éric Nicolas, it can do better than that nowadays. Nicolas also makes fine chenin from the surrounding appellation Coteaux du Loir as well as a much admired Pineau d'Aunis which, alas, the local seller does not import.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:39 pm

Yum, very nice. Naturally in typical Loire-head fashion, I did a google and found this very educational write-up....>

http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/belliviere.shtml

Wonder if there is a website for Belliviere?
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Tim York » Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:42 pm

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:
Wonder if there is a website for Belliviere?


http://www.belliviere.com/
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Mon Nov 08, 2010 2:02 pm

Thanks Tim. Do you have any other CB lined up? Roulerie `06 here!
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Tim York » Mon Nov 08, 2010 4:02 pm

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Thanks Tim. Do you have any other CB lined up? Roulerie `06 here!


I tasted a few from Jacky Blot yesterday as well as the bubbly and his excellent range from Bourgueil. I have not yet written them up except the bubbly (see above). I'll probably put them in a separate thread(s) on the RVF Salon.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Peter May » Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:58 pm

Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc, Wilson Ranch, Clarksburg (CA), 2008

Green tint in the glass. Greengage nose, soft, slightly oily on palate, clean fresh (thanks to screw cap closure?), spicy tropical fruits and some grapefruit, dry with 0.6% residual sugar but not sharp or acidic on finish. Rewarding, well crafted wine. 12.5%abv according to label but feels stronger.

$10.49 (+) at Total Wine
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Tim York » Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:58 pm

Vouvray Sec 2000 - Domaine du Clos Naudin, Philippe Foreau - Alc. 13%. I'm this sort of Chenin fan. For the first couple of minutes it seemed a bit muted but then it opened up. Colour was veering to amber, the nose became full of aromas of flinty minerals, apple, pear, quince and wax. The palate was beautifully focussed, subtle, bone dry, medium bodied, harmoniuosly shaped and long replaying the aromas from the nose and showing strong minerality, an undertow of gentle "gras" (lierally "fat") and crisp but non-astringent acidity. It was quite sensitive to pairings; perfect as described with "dorade" (sea bream?) and at some distance from food, it was the first Loire chenin I have had which was diminished by goat cheese which covered up the aromas and fat and brought out the freshness and minerality even more. 17/20 with the fish and on its own.

Foreau's Vouvray always has a sort of classy austerity like Bach's music and can close down for long periods but then re-open superbly. Jacky Blot claims that his have more charm - perhaps Händel v. Bach; I cannot comment on how Blot's perform at 10 years.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:34 am

Peter May wrote:Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Chenin Blanc, Wilson Ranch, Clarksburg (CA), 2008

Green tint in the glass. Greengage nose, soft, slightly oily on palate, clean fresh (thanks to screw cap closure?), spicy tropical fruits and some grapefruit, dry with 0.6% residual sugar but not sharp or acidic on finish. Rewarding, well crafted wine. 12.5%abv according to label but feels stronger.

$10.49 (+) at Total Wine


Dry Creek is probably the CB from around here I would look out for!!
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Mon Nov 15, 2010 12:27 pm

I was going to open an Anjou or Raats CB this weekend but under the weather again. I did however come across this brief TN from my good internet friend Jim Budd in the UK who has a terrific blog, mainly on the Loire valley. Needless to say, he too is interested in SA. (Zalze is considered to be right up there).

The 2010 Bush Vines, Chenin Blanc from Zalze is still very youthful with fresh, floral aromas. Easy drinking with a touch of sweetness – it has 3.8 g/l residual sugar. 60% of the grapes were harvested in a slightly botrytised state to give richness, while 40% were harvested earlier to provide freshness and acidity. Pleasantly easy drinking at present – somewhat two dimensional but gain gain additional complexity with a year or two in bottle. A sample – currently available in the UK through Waitrose@£6.49.
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Peter May » Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:41 am

Kleine Zalze have been having a lot of competition success recently.

They have a three (quality/price) levels under the Kleine Zalze label with a chenin in each of the lower two (Barrel Fermented and Bush Vine) plus a 'life-style' range called just Zalze also with a Bush Vine chenin plus their 'Out of Africa' range which includes a chenin.

The Waitrose one mentioned by Jim is the 'Zalze' chenin.

I had a poor experience when I visited Kleine Zalze ten years ago shortly after they opened. The wine was badly corked but the tasting room refused to open another bottle and told me that was the way it was supposed to taste and I've not had much to do with their wines since.

Kleine Zalze opened on the R44 (road from Paarl through Stellenbosch) just south of Stellenbosch as a golf estate with winery, luxury hotel and restaurant
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:54 pm

Thanks Peter, the winery sounds like Spier!

WTN: `07 Chateau Prince Coteaux de l`Aubance, Loire Valley.

I have been able to sample this fine CB a couple of times this past year. Think it is progressing nicely. Honey, peach and floral nose. On the palate and served nicely chilled, tropical fruit, honeysuckle and quite delicious for $24 Cdn. Nice balanced acidity here and vastly under-rated imo.

And this report on Raats from Jamie Goode is very timely eh....>

http://www.wineanorak.com/southafrica/s ... _raats.htm
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Re: So what kind of a Chenin Blanc fan are you?

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Sat Nov 27, 2010 10:48 pm

WTN: `09 Quails Gate Chenin Blanc Okanagan Valley VQA.

Sampled downtown at local winestore which was busy as CFL Gray Cup is tomorrow. I am still not feeling that great but what the heck as I taste with a straw! Zesty grapefruit and apple on the nose. Not as minerally as the previous vintage, dry-ish, guava to forefront but suspect palate here I think? Glad not a tropical fruit style from this house. Finishes with some grated citrus zest. Good wine, $22 Cdn and a winery to always keep an eye on.

WTN: `02 Rudera Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest, Stellenbosch SA.

Tasted a couple of weeks ago or so. 350 ml bottle, good natural cork. Rudera know their CB but I kept this in the cellar a tad too long. Very light orangy caramel color, still has element of botyrtis on the nose with some manderin/honey. Fades in glass after an hour.
Still had good acidity but showed toffee apple and sweet marmalade. Became nutty after an hour or so so best past its peak? Food was pork curry with rice, sweetish sauce. Not bad with fresh fruits and sorbet!
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