If you ask a room full of sommeliers to name their favorite white grape, the majority will answer “Riesling!” or “Chardonnay!” but a very passionate and vocal minority will heartily endorse Loire Valley Chenin Blanc. New York-based, French-born Master Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier is probably the best-known Chenin Blanc booster, and I’ve got to say, she makes a very convincing case: Perhaps only Riesling rivals Chenin in its chameleon-like versatility, which is driven (in both cases) by high levels of natural acidity.
Chenin Blanc, like Riesling, produces a rainbow of wine styles—from lean to rich, from bone dry to off-dry to unctuously sweet, from still to sparkling. Every time I encounter a bone-dry, beautifully textured Chenin like today’s Anjou Blanc from Leduc-Frouin, I marvel at just how much wine you get for the money (something I regularly do with German Riesling as well). The 2017 “La Seigneurie” is a juicily ripe, mouth-wateringly fresh, profoundly mineral white wine that reverberates like a perfectly strummed chord on an acoustic guitar. As is so often the case, I find myself getting most excited about the wines at the low end of the price spectrum, but I know I’m not alone: Lots of sommeliers out there share this tendency. When you can get a true farm-to-table wine of this quality at this price, how can you not get a little amped up?
Encompassing 128 villages, the vast Anjou AOC serves Chenin Blanc much like Piedmont’s Langhe DOC serves Nebbiolo in Italy. Within the broad Anjou and Langhe regions, there are smaller appellations with more detailed, strenuous laws, and as a result, some may think of the broader appellations as being inferior. Not so, but since the pricing tends to reflect that herd mentality, let’s let the others think what they want so we can snatch up wines like La Seigneurie for ourselves.
Well south of the Loire River, in the far eastern sector of Anjou, is Domaine Leduc-Frouin. Managed by fourth-generation winemaker Antoine Leduc and his sister Nathalie, the wines are certified as “Agriculture Écologique” by Terra Vitis. Within the confusing lexicon of wine symbols and certifications, Terra Vitis is a national federation of French growers and winemakers who respect “nature, man, and wine.” The mindset is midway between organic and “traditional,” a certified sustainable approach using eco-friendly practices pertaining to planting, vine protection, waste management, hygiene and protection of the workforce (notable members include Château Cheval Blanc and Château Pape Clément). After studying winemaking in Burgundy and Bordeaux, Antoine returned to his family’s estate in the early 1990s. His vineyards span 30 hectares with soils of schist, gravel, and clay—a detour from the more classic tuffeau limestone soils that dominate the nearby Touraine and Saumur regions. In these soils, Chenin expresses luscious yellow stone fruits, apple blossoms, and ample texture pierced by big citrusy acidity.
Pure Chenin Blanc, hand-picked and destemmed, is pressed gently as soon as it arrives at the Leduc-Frouin winery. In order to develop the irresistible mid-palate wave, a combination of used barrel and steel vessels are used for fermentation, followed by aging in used oak for 11 months. If you serve today’s 2017 wine just above 50 degrees, it shows perfectly well in an all-purpose stem, and as usual, a quick decant won’t hurt a youthful white. A straw core is consistent all the way to the rim, which fades into pale straw. The wine shimmers star-bright in the glass and is aromatic right out of the gate, racing with ripe yellow apple, peach, poached quince, acacia, and lime blossom. A hint of oak spice, honeycomb, and earth hides out underneath the fruit then evenly unravels on the palate. The body is pushing past medium-plus, and the fruits linger, precise and pristine. While the acid is high and mouthwatering, it is effortless and friendly, not cold and austere. There’s enough weight and flavor in La Seigneurie that its best food match crosses the line, moving from the domain of fish into lean meat. With all its fallen fruit and damp earth, there is no better white wine for October than Chenin Blanc. A simple roast pork loin and apples was made for this type of white, but, be picky about the type of apples you choose. Rome apples are difficult to find, but hold their shape well and have a nice balance of sweet and savory flavors. You’ve already got the wine part down, so all you need to do is find the apples! Enjoy early and often!
