Off to the wine rack tasting this morning, where among the 80 or so wines shown, there were two Chenin Blancs and a Sancerre.
2007 Montarlet, Sancerre, Joseph Mellot (£16.49 single bottle price)
Grassy and gooseberry aromas and flavours, some weight and style and crisp, citric finish. Montarlet is a blend of wine from silex vineyards at Sancerre (60%) and caillottes (limestone – 40%) from nearby Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre.
Looking down from the flinty vineyards of Sancerre (La Belle Dame) towards those of Ménétréol
Sancerre to Ménétréol: similar view to above but lower down and slightly to the left
2008 Ken Forrester Handmade Chenin Blanc, South Africa (£6.99)
Good value, characterful citric South African Chenin with a touch of apricot and fair length. Not sure what Ken Forrester means by ‘Handmade’ – did he waggle his hand in the fermenting must to check the temperature? Hopefully Ken will be over for the London International Trade Fair next week so I can check then.
2005 Anjou, Chenin Sec, Château de la Guimonière, Vignobles Alain Château (£8.99)
Perhaps the most interesting of the three wines – certainly the most challenging with its beeswax and slightly oxidative style. This Anjou has honeyed length and it will be good to see how it evolves over the next few years. Fair value.
La Guimonière (Rochefort-sur-Loire) has had several changes of ownership over the last couple of decades. The late Gaston Lenôtre bought the property in 1991. It was then sold to Bernard Germain in 1996, who sold it on along with Yon Figeac (Saint-Emilion) in 2005 to Alain Château, who already owned Château de Bellerive in the Quarts de Chaume. Interesting to see that plain Anjou is preferred to Anjou Blanc on the label – presumably they believe correctly that 'Anjou Blanc' would undermine it.
Grassy and gooseberry aromas and flavours, some weight and style and crisp, citric finish. Montarlet is a blend of wine from silex vineyards at Sancerre (60%) and caillottes (limestone – 40%) from nearby Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre.
Looking down from the flinty vineyards of Sancerre (La Belle Dame) towards those of Ménétréol 
Sancerre to Ménétréol: similar view to above but lower down and slightly to the left
2008 Ken Forrester Handmade Chenin Blanc, South Africa (£6.99)
Good value, characterful citric South African Chenin with a touch of apricot and fair length. Not sure what Ken Forrester means by ‘Handmade’ – did he waggle his hand in the fermenting must to check the temperature? Hopefully Ken will be over for the London International Trade Fair next week so I can check then.
2005 Anjou, Chenin Sec, Château de la Guimonière, Vignobles Alain Château (£8.99)
Perhaps the most interesting of the three wines – certainly the most challenging with its beeswax and slightly oxidative style. This Anjou has honeyed length and it will be good to see how it evolves over the next few years. Fair value.
La Guimonière (Rochefort-sur-Loire) has had several changes of ownership over the last couple of decades. The late Gaston Lenôtre bought the property in 1991. It was then sold to Bernard Germain in 1996, who sold it on along with Yon Figeac (Saint-Emilion) in 2005 to Alain Château, who already owned Château de Bellerive in the Quarts de Chaume. Interesting to see that plain Anjou is preferred to Anjou Blanc on the label – presumably they believe correctly that 'Anjou Blanc' would undermine it.
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