Loire CHENIN BLANC is Massively UNDERRATED!!!

When it comes to the greatest white wine grapes, most people think of Riesling and Chardonnay. However, Chenin Blanc belongs in that conversation. It's home is the Loire Valley, which is itself an underrated wine region. Join me to learn more.
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🥂 Wines featured in this episode:
Château Soucherie, Les Rang de Long Anjour Blanc 2022 www.wine.com/product/chateau-...
Domaine de la Bergerie, Le Clos de la Bergerie 2020 rebrand.ly/5xgny5n
Arnaud Lambert, Saint-Cyr-En-Bourg Saumur 2021
Château Moncontour, La Manoca Vouvray 2021
Domaine aux Moines, Roche aux Moines 2020
Domaine de Facteur, Extra Brut NV
00:00 Chenin Blanc a Noble Grape
01:47 The Loire
02:43 Tasting Chenin Blanc
03:21 How to open a Champagne/Sparkling Wine
05:32 Understanding French Wine
08:14 Vouvray
09:54 Savennieres
12:28 Botrytis aka Noble Rot
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[@rodsouza]

Great content. Yet to try savennieres. After watching this I need to try more chenin. And to visit the loire. Good job Matt. Would love to hear your tips on how to book a wine trip. You have so many miles and gallons on you, your tips must be incredible.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Ohhhh may be a good idea for the future.

[@ptg01]

Gotta go to Château de Chambord ! Breathtakingly grand palace of a bygone era.

[@AttorneySomm]

Very much agree with you. I always enjoy Chenin from Loire, but do not taste it often enough. Gaining exposure to wines like these was one of the most rewarding aspects of the DipWSET program.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

That is the best thing about the WSET course, tasting all the different wines

[@AttorneySomm]

@@drmatthewhorkey It definitely forced me to broaden my horizons and learn about/taste a number of regions/wines that were not in my repertoire at that time.

[@hugosbalder6139]

Coteaux de Layon (Bonnezeaux) does have the best sweet wines in the world if you are looking for value. As a sweet wine expert I always recommend Chenin Blanc from the Loire, it does have the accidity and freshness of a Riesling and the noble balanced boytritis taste of a Sauternes. Many of my friends prefer cause of this accidity Bonnezeaux wines of price range 20-30 $ over a Sauternes of 50-70 $................

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Great call!

[@TheDesertWineGuy]

That Pine Ridge wine rocks!

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Good qpr

[@marknelson8724]

I loved that bottle when the Viognier was about 8%. At that blend, the wine was a turbo-charged Chenin Blanc. The last few years, with a higher percentage of Viognier, the wine is like a watered down Viognier to me. But that is my opinion and my palate and if the wine rocks out for you, I appreciate that.

[@tonygallo1104]

I Love Chenin! We were able to visit joly...a couple months back...well not Nicolas but coulee de serrant... very nice.. We came real close to getting an on the spot tasting w/ Tessa Laroche.. ( next time). We especially enjoyed Chateau De Plaisance.. lovely lovely....Breton... - their Vouvray was delicious! Loire Valley is a great place for sure! Thanks Dr. Matthew! A quick shout out as well for Clos Bourgelat in Graves! Great husband/ wife winery! Antoine is trying to get into US market... not easy.... fingers crossed... oh yea domaine de la chanteleuserie in Bourgueil was great too.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Wow you are a HARDCORE wine person!!!

[@tonygallo1104]

@@drmatthewhorkey Not quite like you but enjoy for sure- especially the explorations and experiences.

[@noahcap]

Thanks for the video! I've always been luke-warm on Chenin myself. It leaves wishing for something else instead- Drinking sparkling Chenin leaves me wanting Champagne, crisp lean Chenin leaves me wanting trocken Riesling, Savenniere and I want white Burgundy, sweet Chenin and I want Sauternes. I've had a few good examples but nothing that drove me to seek these wines out. But your video is making me reconsider- time to give Chenin another shot!

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Totally can see where you are coming from. It’s all good if you don’t like it as I can tell you drink well

[@ptg01]

So TRUE !!! Chenin Blanc of the Loire is way underrated. SO are the wines of Alsace !

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Agreed

[@VektrumSimulacrum]

Shooooot, it's like you have ESP. I just started a Chenin Blanc kick. I've only tasted 2 different bottles and I think it's going to get added to my "favorites- keep on hand" list.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Ahhhh enjoy the exploring of Chenin

[@user-vy2hj6uj3t]

Joly's Clos de la Coulee se Serrant is my dessert island wine, my go-to's are Francois Pinon and Domaine Filiatreau. Domaine des Baumard makes stellar Savennieres and Quarts de Chaume.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

All phenomenal producers incl. Baumard.

[@stroopwafel6141]

Chambord and Chenonceau, both castles I visited. Wants me to go back now. ) Great content about the Loire. I buy some good sauvignon blancs from Touraine for daily use. But chenin is a different beast. I love the complexity and richness of good chenin blancs. Often they go very well with lobster.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Ohhhh great pairing idea!! Yes those two château are pretty damn impressive

[@jcbd9415]

I just visited my grandma in Tours a couple months ago. Went to 4 different wineries to try some wine and I was shocked how good the wines are. I tried some Vouvray whites and Chinon refs. All of them were really good. (Way better than here in VA for like a quarter the price)

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Niceee yes the value for money is great

[@juanito2109]

For me Vouvray is the perfect aging white wine. And for a old time jerez drinker and white wine lover Chenin is heaven on earth!

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Wow that is a compliment to Chenin

[@Phuong.Nguyen-]

Good review ❤😊

[@drmatthewhorkey]

🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@tedryan2798]

Love Vouvray! Great content.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Thank you

[@tedryan2798]

Matthew, a quick question on Italian Vin Santos…We are headed to Verona and Montepulciano next month. A Vin Santo tasting is on the agenda. Is there a difference between Veneto style vs Tuscan style Vin Santo?

[@drmatthewhorkey]

I prefer nuttiness of Vin Santos

[@ray4sp]

Hi Matthew, Eben Sadie is also producing some fabulous straight chenin and some chenin blends - exceptional quality. on another note, as a "heads up" to you, if you can get the Taaibosch Crescendo 2019 vintage ( just becoming available ), it is well worth the effort - fabulous Bordeaux blend. Cheers and thanks for your videos.

[@ray4sp]

I should have indicated that Eben produces in the Swartlands and Stellenbosch, So Africa.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Yessss, very famous producer!

[@liamblake937]

Great video, i got to try those gabriel wine glasses at a restaurant last night. Arnaud Lambert makes the best value chenins in the US. I love his clos du midi and cant wait to try his other single vineyard wines.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Yes his wines are fantastic. Did you like the wines?

[@monmars118]

As french living in Nantes i will take notes, maybe for my next purchases 🍷 Glad to see coteaux du Layon in the tasting, as its my favorite white wine from Loire valley. I met a small Bio producer ( domaine des clostiers) at a wine salon and got to visit the domaine and winery it was a wonderfull expérience.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Ahhhh you live in the land of good Cru Muscadet. Nantes is a cool city

[@monmars118]

@@drmatthewhorkey yes there is a lots of nice wine / beer bars and wine shops next time you come to Nantes i hope you will have time to enjoy that too .

[@peterburlin8198]

Love the wines of Arnault Lambert ! Clos David 2016 is probably the best Chenin Ive ever tried. Also makes some fab lean Cab Francs

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Agree!

[@blurds]

Recently tasted domaine collier saumur blanc and that... Was insane

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Very good producer!

[@solomonmengeu1003]

I certainly agree with you that Chenin Blanc and the Central Loire are undervalued as a cultivar and a region, respectively. I did have a fairly impressive Vouvray Sec a number of years ago, but Loire CBs are rare here. As the market is mainly focused on Burgundy Chardonnay, Bordeaux Blanc & Southern France white cuvees. I have had more South African Chenin Blanc and generally been pleased with the quality and the variety of styles available. It's like true that a number of Tokaj growers and wineries are piggybacking on Rieslings' success, though it seems they are being made in a variety of styles. Crisp, dry and minerally, Riesling-esque type wines, then both steely Chablis type and rich sophisticated barrel--fermented Burgundy styles. As Furmint is a half-sibling of Riesling & Chardonnay, with them sharing Heunisch Weiss (Gouais Blanc) as a parent, hence the genetic and stylistic crossovers. I respect your opinion about French white wine being the best in the world, besides Riesling. Though I don't know if I can fully agree with you on this fine point. As having mainly drunk European white wine over the past 10 plus years I would say that most European countries can produce good to great white wines. The southern hemisphere and the States, aka "the New World" has also really improved their quality over the last 7--8 years and become more balanced. A great video and thanks for highlighting Chenin Blanc and the Central Loire, looking forward to the next video.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

I do think there are some fantastic whites being made in all countries... I should clarify, I think the French do the best with barrel fermented whites.

[@tonygallo1104]

Man, you know your stuff...I did find if you do biz with a good wine shop... They can push their distributors to bring in .. the ones that have say Kermit Lynch or Cynthia Hurley (i think they are still around), etc.

[@Petazzi1]

Visited also Huet last year. Brought back the Haut-Lieu Sec, but now need to wait a decade.. 😢 Need to find a way to keep them locked up..

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Hahahha they are yummy indeed. Maybe find some older ones out there on auction

[@nigelgreenhalgh4316]

Unbelievable wines. Been drinking them for years. Still have a 1990 domaine Huet Grains nobles. Joly from 2005. Quartsse chaumes 1994. Ageles. It isthe acidity whic drives the wine.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Ohhhh wowzasss enjoy that 90 when you open it

[@TheMacallan14]

Yet another very interesting episode. I've sent it to my friend who is currently spending a week in the area. I like Blanc de Noirs Champagne a lot. Is there any type of sparkling wine there that you'd recommend?

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Some delicious Cremant de Loire worth trying! Vouvray sparkling too

[@janee8396]

Thank you for doing this! During my search of trying to find wines to lay away for my son (born in 2022) Loire Chenin Blanc is one of the grapes that crossed my path. I have to wait a few months to get bottles from 2022 but I have my eyes on a bottle of Coulee de Serrant from Joly and a Domaine aux Moines, the one you covered in this video. One question: do you perhaps know how aged (dry) Chenin Blanc from the Loire tastes? My very sweet girlfriend recently gave me a 1996 Coulee de Serrant and I am not ashamed to admit that I am actually kind of nervous to open it. These are wines that are kind of outside of my budget, so I want to treat this bottle right.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

That one is exquisite with age although I haven’t had one that old before the only way to find out is open and try it

[@spyrosandreopoulos5922]

Domaine Huet is the classic, and Dom de Baumards for Savennieres.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Classic indeed!

[@craigmetcalfe1749]

"I like the pop" - Drops of God!

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Hagaha you’ll like an upcoming video…

[@Ruirspirul]

never had a French Chenin but SA ones I have had, been aight, nothing mind blowing 😅

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Time to try!

[@brigodoro]

Chenin blanc = world most underrated white grape. Look for Moulin Touchais eternal wines from another dimension.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Sucha great grape!!

[@comesahorseman]

The first truly good wine I ever picked out at the shop was a Chenin from the Loire. Total dumb luck, BTW! 😅

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Ohhh really? Do u remember what it was?

[@GarthScholtz]

You commented a few times that the wines were slightly lower in acidity that you expected or wanted. Do you think that's intentional or an effect of climate change?

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Intentional in style of wine

[@bjornep2]

No Moulin Touchais?

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Nope

[@Neurability]

Why are you talking about Tokaji in the middle of the video?

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Bc I think dry Tokaji shared similarities w Savennieres

[@welshtoro3256]

"Jabs from being American" just suck and display an awful pomposity. I'm European but I hate that. Now, underrated white wine? Join the queue. That s the greatest queue in the wine world.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Btw… I have an upcoming video w only Spanish wines and give you a shout out!

[@welshtoro3256]

@@drmatthewhorkey Cheers Matt.

[@dr7246]

Sure there are some fantastic Chenin blanc based wines. However, for my tastes, the grape doesn’t come close to Riesling. Really no white grape does. In the right vineyards, and in the right hands, Riesling can offer a level of genuine flavor AND interest, that no other white grape can match. Of course, ymmv, as preferences are so personal

[@drmatthewhorkey]

😮