Chenin blanc from France's Loire Valley

The chenin blanc grape gets a bad rap in California.

Sure, it makes some wonderfully quaffable wines — good examples are the Dry Creek Dry Chenin Blanc and Dancing Coyote Chenin Blanc, both made from grapes grown around Clarksburg — but few would call California chenin blanc world class. Most California chenin is grown in Fresno and Madera counties and ends up in inexpensive jug blends.

It's in the middle section of France's Loire Valley where chenin blanc finds its finest expression in such appellations as Vouvray, Montlouis-sur-Loire, Savennieres and, for dessert wines, Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux du Layon.

The wines, labeled with the name of the appellation rather than the grape variety, can be bone dry, off-dry or very sweet, and many age extremely well. There's even sparkling wine made from chenin blanc. All Loire chenin blancs have a core of racy acidity, wrapped by flavors that range from green apple to white stone fruit to honey and even marzipan.

Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire are near the city of Tours. The appellations are on either side of the Loire River and have similar climates. But the best wines of Vouvray, from south-facing hillsides overlooking the river, have a greater intensity. The most common Vouvray style is off-dry, but there are excellent dry wines and, when weather conditions are right, dessert wines.

Vouvray's benchmark producer is
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Domaine Huet L'Echansonne. Founded in 1928 and directed for years by Gaston Huet, the winery was sold in 2003, after Huet's death. Huet's son-in-law, Noel Pinguet, who stayed on as winemaker, was instrumental in the winery's conversion to biodynamic practices in its 88 acres of vineyards. The winery's maze of damp, mold-lined caves snake through the hillside under one of those vineyards.

No matter the sweetness level, the Huet wines can be spectacular. The dry 2007 Vouvray Sec "Le Mont" ($31), for example, is racy and tight, with citrus and mineral flavors, while the sweeter 2008 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Haut-Lieu" ($36) is very aromatic, with pear and nectarine flavors and a long finish.

Other good producers in the 5,000-acre appellation include Champalou, Bourillon-Dorleans and Vigneau-Chevreau. At Bourillon-Dorleans — where the caves are sculpted into scenes depicting the history of humanity — there is a lovely 2008 Vouvray Demi-Sec ($21), which is fairly sweet, with pretty apple, pear and white stone fruit flavors.

The smaller (fewer than 1,000 acres) Montlouis-sur-Loire appellation is on the south side of the Loire, facing Vouvray. Sparkling wines account for slightly more than half of the area's production, but there are some very good still wines, too. One vivid wine is the 2007 Domaine Deletang Montlouis Sec "Les Batisses" ($17), which is quite floral and fragrant, with bracing acidity. Domaine La Grange Tiphaine is another good producer to look for.

To the west, near Angers, lie the appellations of Savennieres, Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux du Layon. The chenins of Savennieres, where the vineyards lie in a narrow band on the north bank of the Loire, are usually dry, with a strong mineral component. They're not immediately appealing to everyone — Savennieres is a wine you need to think about — but they age incredibly well.

At Domaine Baumard, for example, I tasted a 1973 Savennieres "Clos du Papillon" that had been open for two days, and it was amazing, with vivid green fig and honey flavors and a very long finish. A more recent vintage, the 2005 ($32), is lean, tight and spicy, with a long finish. It needs more time in the bottle but shows great promise.

Probably the most famous Savennieres producer is biodynamics proponent Nicolas Joly of Coulee de Serrant; Baumard is known not only for Savennieres but also for sweet wines. And they are stunners.


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