Chenin Blanc from Three Countries

Having tasted a superb Chenin Blanc from South Africa a couple of days beforehand, I was inspired to go along to a dedicated Chenin tasting with wines from Australia, South Africa and the Loire.  My overall impression was that the wines did not have the acidic backbone that I was expecting and many of the wines were textural with limited fruit coming to the fore. 

I would have loved to have tasted some Chenin from the botrytised and sweeter end of the spectrum but as they are not popular in Australia, the sweetest wine on offer had 18 g/L of residual sugar – just enough to give it a fuller and rounder mouthfeel.  Below is my pick of the wines.

L.A.S. Vino Between the Capes Chenin Blanc 2025 (Margaret River Region)

This wine immediately struck me as having much warmer fruit than most of the wines available at the tasting – in fact it was almost South African in style minus the heavy oak.  Stone fruit was upfront with peach and yellow plum flavours along with melons - rockmelon (cantaloupe) and honeydew melon.  It had just enough acidity to stop the wine being flabby.

Rating: Okay         Price: AUD 59

Sakkie Mouton Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2024 (South Africa)

Definitely the best of the South African wines at the tasting and the most complex wine overall.  It had aromas of fennel and nutmeg which complemented the tart green apple, lime zest and beeswax flavours on the palate – it was almost like tasting a German apple pie.  This wine had zingy acidity and was much crisper and had more minerality than the other wines.  A nicely balanced wine that would go well with seafood and chicken dishes.  My favourite wine of the day.

Rating: Delish      Price: AUD 98

Francois Chidaine Montlouis Les Choisilles 2022 (Loire)

One of the more complex wines at the tasting.  Delicate aromas of light white peach on the nose did not hint at the better fruit concentration on the palate.  Flavours of melon, white and yellow peach and touches of nectarine, grape, white florals, coriander and dill.

Rating: Delish     Price: AUD120

…and that superb Chenin from South Africa that I had drunk a couple of days prior - it was a Wildeberg Terroirs Chenin Blanc from Paarl – Rating: Bloody Delish.