Loire Valley Chenin Blanc: a style guide

When it comes to white wines from the Loire Valley, Sancerre and Sauvignon Blanc may be the first to come to the minds of many wine drinkers, but it is Chenin Blanc that reigns supreme in the central part of the Loire that spans the regions of Anjou, Saumur and Touraine.

With its northerly latitude, vine cultivation in the Loire is only possible where vineyards are situated on the flanks of a south facing slope. The glistening of the river reflects sunlight up to the vineyards which adorn its banks, aiding in the ripening of the grapes. This is Chenin’s spiritual home.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 30 Loire Chenin Blancs

Loire Chenin Blanc: key styles

Known locally as Pineau de la Loire, the wines come in a multitude of styles – sparkling, dry, off-dry and sweet. Here’s what to expect from each style, along with some great examples to try.

Sparkling Loire Chenin Blanc

Sparkling wines made from Chenin Blanc can be found in many of the central Loire appellations, notably Crémant de Loire which is grown and produced in the same areas as Anjou, Touraine, Saumur and Cheverny as well as bottles coming from Vouvray. In fact the Loire is second only to Champagne in terms of sparkling wine production in France.

The fizz is made in the same way as Champagne, using the traditional method. However there are also producers making wines in the pétillant naturel style. Normally these lightly sparkling wines must be labelled as Vin de France, but the Montlouis appellation has recently added this production method to their appellation regulations.

Chenin lends itself well to sparkling wine due to its high acidity, and adds floral aromas and flavours both on the nose and palate. Producers who use ripe grapes, and not astringent under ripe fruit, can make great quality bottles and those that allow longer ageing on the lees give their wines more complexity which, when aged, start to display Chenin’s typical honey character.

Some top examples from a range of appellations include Domaine Vigneau Chevreau’s Vouvray NV with its wet wool, hazelnut and baked apple characters. Also worth seeking out is Gratien & Meyer, The Society’s Brut, Saumur NV which shows subtle apple flesh, yeasty notes and a creamy mousse. Château de l’Aulée’s Classic, Crémant de Loire NV is lightly toasty with green apples, jasmine and blossom characters. All three can be bought for under £20/$20, providing a great alternative to Champagne.

Decanter Best: 10 dry Loire Chenins to seek out

Dry Loire Chenin Blanc

Expect exceptional freshness and zippy acidity from good dry Loire Chenin. A basic example will show floral, green apple and white peach aromas and flavours. The more complex wines will display jasmine, honeysuckle and great intensity of orchard fruits.

Some wines will also show a stony, mineral character and hints of wet wool or lanolin. Take Franz Saumon, Mineral Plus, 2018 from Montlouis – here the pithy citrus fruit combines with wet rocks and chalk, making it refreshing and zesty.

This versatile grape variety also has the ability to retain a ripe, honeyed flavour even when made in a dry style – for instance Château d’Épiré’s Savennières 2017 shows sweet juicy peaches, heady jasmine, honeysuckle and poached pears.

The Saumur and Montlouis appellations also produce dry Chenin. Chalky limestone soils characterise both areas which is credited with lending finesse to the resulting wines. Seek out Frédéric Mabileau’s Chenin du Puy, Saumur 2016, which is lean and austere, but has a richness and ripeness to the fruit which brings balance.

Another top pick from Saumur is Mélaric, Billes de Roche, Saumur 2018, which is elegant and precise. It shows cooking apples and quince, with licks of hay, pecan and delicate blossom, and gives a lot of flavour and complexity for under £25/$25.

Dry Chenin on the rise

Dry Chenin Blanc can be aged to great effect. The top-scoring Eric Morgat, Fidès, Savennières 2012 is showing some indication of bottle age but also reinforces Chenin’s ability to retain freshness and acidity. It’s not unusual for a great dry Chenin to be alive and singing after 20 or more years in bottle. By this stage, these aged Chenins will have developed more oxidative, savoury characters such as hazelnuts, umami and dried fruit.

Decanter’s Regional Chair for the Loire, Jim Budd, recently explained in an online tasting how the appreciation of dry Loire Chenin is on the rise, as is the quality of the wines, so look out for high-quality examples at the lower end of budgets too.

Domaine Cady’s Cheninsolite, Anjou Blanc 2018 retails at under £15/$15 but impresses with its delicately floral aromas, and flavours of peach, almond and a creamy smokiness.

Off-dry and medium-sweet Loire Chenin Blanc

The term off-dry means that a wine has some residual sugar, but not as much as a fully sweet wine. Whether or not we can perceive this small amount of residual sugar when tasting depends on the overall balance and harmony of the wine. This style is referred to as ‘sec tendre’ in France, especially in Vouvray.

Chenin’s vibrant, often scintillating acidity can mask sweetness so that these off-dry styles taste dry on the palate. Bottle age can also impact the perception of sweetness, so much so that an aged sec tendre or demi-sec Vouvray can be the perfect accompaniment to creamy fish dishes.

Expect delicate blossom and ripe fruit aromas and flavours such as apricots and peaches as well as Chenin’s typical honey note. Pick up Château Gaudrelle, Clos le Vigneau, Vouvray 2018 for just over £15/$15, where the touch of residual sugar on the palate lends balance and concentration. It is great as an aperitif or to enjoy with a classic Loire dish of creamy pork and prunes.

How are sweet wines made?

Sweet Loire Chenin Blanc

The Loire Valley produces some of the best sweet wines in the world. They offer exceptional quality and longevity. Despite this, as Budd pointed out, there has been a drop in popularity of this golden nectar with winemakers finding them increasingly hard to sell.

Often in the Loire, grapes affected by noble rot are used to make these sweet wines, in the same way as the luscious sweet wines of Sauternes in Bordeaux. Wine producers harvest grapes with multiple trips through the vineyard, picking only the perfect (or perfectly imperfect) rotten grapes. The best examples are labour intensive and therefore expensive to make.

In Coteaux du Layon, south of the river in Anjou, the sweet wines combine ultimate ripeness with laser acidity and rich sweetness. The Coteaux du Layon Saint Lambert from Domaine Vincent Ogereau, for example, is rich and lively, filling the mouth with nectarines and apricots soaked in runny honey. Coming in under £25/$25 the quality to price ratio is exceptional.

Complex flavours can be expected from this style of wine, and it is not uncommon to find marzipan, candied peel and honey notes as well as the more savoury and vegetal mushroom. A top bottle to try is Domaine des Forges, Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru 2014 which has a rich and heady scent of grilled honeyed peaches, apricot and frangipane tart. Available at under £40/$40 for a 75cl bottle.

Great sweet Chenin has just as much ability to age as dry Chenin does. In fact in great vintages, for example 1959 and 1964, sweet Chenin can still be drinking well after 50 years in bottle.

With their uplifting acidity, these wines are assertive at the dinner table, and there is no reason why they can’t be enjoyed with every course. Try one with charcuterie, delicate lobster or creamy chicken and mushroom dishes, as well as spicy and fragrant vegetable tagines, and of course salty cheeses or fruit tarts.

Versatility

With such an array of styles, there is a Loire Chenin Blanc for every course and every occasion, with many at affordable price points.

Jim Budd’s top vintage recommendations for each style of Loire Chenin:

Sparkling: most sparkling Loire Chenin tends to be non-vintage, but look out for any labelled as 2017 or 2019 because these were good vintages for Chenin across the board.

Dry: 1992, 2002, 2014, 2017, 2019

Off-dry/medium-sweet: 1989, 1996, 2002, 2010, 2017

Sweet: 1989, 1990, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2010

Tasting notes and scores for 30 Loire Chenin Blancs

Wines are listed in score order per category; sparkling, dry, off-dry and sweet. 

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