Chenin Blanc no longer toils in obscurity with other white grapes not named Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio. In fact there might be too much exposure and hype in the social media landscape of wine influencers; but regardless, it’s clear to the regular wine drinking public that Chenin is at least in the zeitgeist. But what to expect from this grape is less clear to many. No worries, that’s our job! I think the best way to understand what great Chenin Blanc is, is to pop a cork. And the good news is that you can still get some of the very best for a bargain. Domaine Fouet’s “L’Ardillon” is the perfect example: The vines are entirely in the Cru of Brézé, which is likely the most lauded terroir for Chenin on the planet, and the wine is a beacon of old-school winemaking, organic farming, and pure soil expression. Bone dry, yet with supple fruit, and expertly balanced, it’s both joyous and deeply complex. This is what everyone raves about with Chenin, and you can join the party for a song!
Just to the south of Domaine Fouet is the famed hamlet of Brézé, while to the north, superstar Clos Rougeard is five minutes up the road. Headquartered in the village of Saint Cyr-en-Bourg, Julien Fouet is a committed organic farmer, not only eschewing chemicals in his 22 hectares of vineyards but using sheep for weed control instead of mechanical equipment. He represents the sixth generation at this small, family-run property, whose old cellars burrow into the chalky, tuffeau limestone typical of the region. Fouet’s vineyards were Certified Organic with the 2020 vintage, but that process had been initiated many years prior.
Julien’s bread and butter is Cabernet Franc, growing in several vineyards within the Saumur appellation, and his family was long known for their sparkling Crémants as well (though now Julien produces only Petillant-Naturel), but his small plots of Chenin Blanc are perhaps the most well positioned, and precious to him as well. The cuvée “L’Ardillon” carries the basic “Saumur Blanc” AOC designation, but in fact all of this fruit hails from vines that grow on the famous hill of Brézé. The aforementioned Clos Rougeard made this hill famous in the past couple of decades, producing a Chenin that is one of the most coveted and collected French White Wines not from Burgundy. But in truth this hill, with its thin or practically non-existent top soil over a deep bedrock of pure tuffeau has been considered the grandest of crus for Chenin Blanc by locals for centuries.
The slopes of the hill coupled with that crumbly, chalky, mineral laden limestone can produce wines that have an unparalleled balance of honeyed fruit, laser-like acidity, and deep, saline minerality. Julien is well aware of the “gold” beneath his feet here, and of the long history. As such he employs very traditional techniques. The organic, hand-harvested bunches are fermented as whole clusters in cement tanks with native yeasts, and then aged after a gentle pressing in the same cement tanks for six months on the lees. Malolactic fermentation is blocked naturally in the very cold cellar, and the wine is bottled with only natural filtration and a minimal amount of SO2 additions.
Some sommeliers serve top Chenin Blanc like this much as they do white Burgundy, while others give it the GG Riesling treatment. I think the oak treatment is the key, and in this case it’s only cement tanks so I go with the latter: Serve it at cool 50 degrees or so in nice all-purpose stems, after a quick splash decant. The nose opens pretty quickly with notes of just-ripe pears, yellow apples, quince, wildflower honey, raw almonds, lemon zest, white flowers, and hints of damp earth. Those savory notes will increase with time in the bottle, and in truth I think good Chenin is one of the most affordable wines that you can put in your cellar. It will age in a graceful and interesting way, gaining complexity while shedding fruit, for at least a decade. Serve with soft rind-ripended cheeses, fresh shellfish, or spicy Asian dishes.
