Les Fondraux is semi-sweet: it always has some residual sugar, wich gives concentration and fullness to the palate. White flowers dominate the nose and help bring into focus all of the wine's freshness, fullness, minerality and vivacity. Whilst young, the wine matches perfectly with river fish, charcuterie, goat's cheese, and sweet-and-sour dishes. With age, the flavours can manage more spicy foods and white meat. - Champalou note.

Vouvray is a French wine appellation devoted to the great Chenin Blanc grape, which is expressed vibrantly in this gorgeously fresh and light bodied but intensely flavoursome white wine. Its high acidity and expansive fresh flavours make Chenin Blanc one of the most versatile wines with its bold and bright lemon, honey and floral aromas. High acidity adds length and backbone to the palate of this lovely wine. 

The history, mystery of a long established winery

The Domaine Marc Bredif winery is one of the great names of the Loire. The estate has enjoyed a long and colourful history, having been established in 1893 under the original name of Ch?teau les Roches. In 1919, not long after the end of the First World War, Marc Bredif took over from his Uncle and renamed the property to mark the change of ownership. His focus was simple, to forge an unrivalled reputation for excellence amongst the estates of the Loire Valley.
He invested heavily in the estate during the 1930?s, building a tremendous circular storage room in the heart of its cellars, which today houses venerable vintages of sweet Vouvray, some of which date back to the 1900?s. The property managed to survive the Second War World War relatively unharmed and remained under family control until the 1980?s. As is so often the case, family intrigue and financial necessity meant that the Domaine had to be sold, and in 1980 Baron Patrick de Ladoucette acquired the estate. Thankfully, the Baron was every bit the conscientious owner and has given new life to Marc Bredif ? investing heavily and expanding their holdings to include some of the most prized Vouvray vineyards ? 20 hectares in total. Picking exclusively by hand, the Domaine produces some of the most profound and immortal expressions of Chenin Blanc, in a range of styles to suit all wine lovers.

If Chenin has fallen off your fine wine drinking radar, try this fabulous French example, made from grapes grown on soils of flint and limestone. Flavours of fresh green apples, honey and citrus all combine in every beautifully balanced sip of this outstanding Loire Valley Chenin Blanc from top producer, Bernard Fouquet. 

The new Dicey Wine brand is the brainchild of the well experienced Dicey brothers, Matt and James, whose parents were among the pioneers of viticulture and winemaking in Bannockburn, Central Otago, when they co-founded Mt Difficulty Wines.

Kirsten and Richard Searle are great champions of Chenin Blanc in Gisborne and theirs is made with grapes from the Briant's vineyard in the Patutahi region just across the river from Matawhero. Aromas in this wine are all about rich citrus blossom, supported by white floral and honeysuckle flavours combined with fresh acidity and a medium body. A stunning alternative medium dry white - great drinking, lightly chilled, year round. 

If you like a lighter style of Chardonnay, you'll love this tasty Gisborne white.

Winemakers James and Annie Millton were the first in the country to produce a certified organic wine in 1984 and have since pioneered biodynamic grape growing and winemaking practices, along with retaining a strong loyalty to lesser known great grape varieties, such as Chenin Blanc.

Te Arai Vineyard Chenin Blanc is one of their finest wines and best known for its consistently high quality and ability to age. The Chenin Blanc grape is known and loved for its vibrant high acidity which provides a freshness to the wine and the ability to age for the long term. 

If you haven't tried this great white, it's time to get in touch with one of the country's most iconic wines. 

100% Chenin Blanc from the Savenierres appellation in Loire. Yeasty, herbaceous and floral on the nose with a smoky mineral tinge. The palate is ripe, dense and juicy with herbaceous and floral notes, again with a hint of minerality. The acidity in this wine is very elegant, enhancing the fruity elements on the medium-bodied palate.

“Coteaux du Layon vineyards are situated on hillsides rolling along the Layon, a small stream joining the Loire near Angers. The region has a special climate; mild with a long Autumn ripening season giving very ripe Chenin Blanc grapes which are often affected by botrytis. This produces sweet wines of complexity, intensity, acidity and remarkable longevity.” – Winemaker’s notes.

This sweet wine offers complex honeyed flavours and excellent minerality.

Mullineux was established in 2007, when Chris and Andrea Mullineux settled in the Swartland wine region, 60 kilometers north of Cape Town. Within a very short time the winery established itself as one of South Africa’s most celebrated wine brands, both locally and on the international front. 

By 2020 the winery had received thirty 5-star ratings from Platter’s South African Wine Guide, as well as being awarded  Platter’s Winery of the Year an unprecedented 4 times in 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2020.

Pale straw in colour, this Chenin Blanc displays sun ripened pears and wet granite. The palate has a vibrant acidity balanced by a soft, round texture and some pithy character. This wine has a fresh and mineral finish.

Maxim Wines is a small wine producer in Hawke?s Bay, owned by winemaker Darragh Hughes, who produces small batches of beautiful, handcrafted wines, specialising in Chenin Blanc and Syrah. 

This Chenin is a fresh, pure and expressive with white florals and stonefruit aromas, apple and citrus notes. This lovely medium-bodied wine has an elegantly concentrated core of white florals, apple, stonefruit and citrus notes. The palate possesses a fine structure and balance, the textures and acidity flow through to the taut finish.

Maxim Wines' aim is to make wines that are an honest expression of where they?re from and how they?re made, speaking the truth of the soil beneath the vines, the sun that ripened the fruit and the light touch that shaped the finished drop.

We're big fans of dry Chenin Blanc and this is one of the best made in New Zealand with its ripe flavours of green apples, clover honey and notes of dried grass and hay  aromas. This is a great wine to drink with fish 'n chips by the river, on the beach or in the backyard. It's also a delicately refreshing drink on its own as an aperitif or late nightcap. John and Beth Forrest are Chenin Blanc devotees and it shows. 

Machine harvested grapes were fermented in large oak barrels (1000 litres) and extended lees ageing brings depth and layers of flavour to this wine.

Chenin Blanc is one of the great white wines of the world, traditionally from the Loire Valley in central France, and also a grape that has found its home happily in many cool climates of the wine world, such as parts of New Zealand.

Notes from the winemaker.

This wine is slightly cloudy and the first smell is of olive stone and almost briny, there is light dried straw much like the scarecrow and yet with the pear prettiness of Dorothy . A touch of honey and a whisper of almond are present. The acidity is round, but refreshing and then there?s heaps of long chained tannin giving a very long textured pucker and a drying finish. It is cloudy from natural sediments, and smells very clearly of its origins in terms of place and fruit. The taste is long and intense. Once opened, this wine will last, even improve, for a number of days afterwards, so take your time, savour and drink in moderation. Handmade.

? BioGro Certified Organic 

? Demeter Certified Biodynamic 

? Grown and bottled on the Property

? Dry farmed 

? Unfined. Contains no animal products.

Beautiful dry, refreshing, concentrated French Chenin Blanc with intense flavours of green apples, apricots, honey and white floral aromas. This outstanding wine comes  from one of the smallest and highest quality wine regions on the northern side of the Loire, which is dedicated entirely to the great white Chenin Blanc. 

This wine is great drinking now and will age well for the next two decades. 

Mount Edward Winery is one of the few producers of great Chenin Blanc in New Zealand and this is a dry style with succulent flavours of white peach, a hint of honey and juicy acidity giving this wine its mouthwateringly long finish. 

Mount Edward Wines was founded by the godfather of modern Central Otago wine, Alan Brady, in 1997. Its name comes from Mount Edward and iti s situated at the foot of this mountain in the Gibbston Valley, which is the source of some of the grapes used in its wines. Most of the vineyard source for Mount Edward is further afield, notably in Pisa at the outstanding Morrison Vineyard and in Bannockburn at the Muirkirk Vineyard. 

A great white from the world's most southern wine region.