Regular: $16.99 | TWS Sale: $12.99

Regular: $49.99 | TWS Sale: $39.99

Vouvray is to Chenin Blanc what Champagne is to sparkling wine: the regional standard by which all others are judged. While there are plenty of great Chenin Blancs the world over, no single region seems to come close to the dizzying heights achieved within Vouvray. Among Vouvray, few-if-any come close to commanding the kind of clout and prestige afforded to Domaine Huet. Don’t believe me? A Domaine Huet bottle of 1947 Vouvray is the highest rated (non-dessert) white wine on Decanter’s 100 Wines to Try before You Die at #6, narrowly beating out legendary Domaine de la Romanee Conti’s Montrachet (a bottle of a current vintage of DRC Montrachet could easily cost $5,000-$10,000 if you are lucky enough to find one!). Then, even amongst Huet itself, Le Mont vineyard is arguably the single best plot of land at their command (the sole contender being the equally famed Clos de Bourg). So, you will believe me when I say that if you want to talk about world class Chenin Blanc with a pronounced sense of place, that Huet Le Mont Sec is practically peerless.

One of the best locations on the Première Côte, Le Mont is unquestionably equivalent to Grand Cru Burgundy in terms of pedigree and quality. The soil here is comprised primarily of pebbles, silex, and a silica-rich topsoil (green mica). The pebbles help with drainage lower in the soil, and silica in the topsoil helps to make plants heartier in the face of drought or frost and promotes root depth. The true star of the show is the silex, which imbues Le Mont Vouvray’s with their characteristic intense & linear minerality. The south facing slopes of Le Mont vineyard give the vines a little more heat and sun exposure throughout the day. This daytime sun promotes sugar production, while the diurnal swing helps maintain acidity.

The confluence of all these factors lead to Domaine Huet Le Mont Vouvray’s characteristic vibrancy and precision. The nose has beautifully lifted notes of chalk, flint, white flowers, and apple skins. The palate is angular and exciting, with exotic notes of citrus zest, white peach, fennel, and honeydew melon rind. The finish is stony, refreshing, and dry as a bone with a lingering, evolving florality. Truly, this is about as good as dry Vouvray can get! A bottling that cries out to be enjoyed and discussed with friends and family, and one that presents plenty of potential for ageing and evolving down the line.

Regular: $24.99 | TWS Sale: $19.99

Grolleau was better known for making semi-sweet and innocuous rosés in the mid to late 20^th century, and it was rarely seen outside of Gamay blends. Although unfairly lambasted by critics, Grolleau has recently entered a renaissance. Suddenly, we're seeing varietal Grolleau wines coming out of the Loire that are being praised for their great acidity and easy-drinking, glou-glou character. 

Regular: $22.99 | TWS Sale: $17.99

Chenin Blanc is incredibly versatile. Where it is grown and its winemaking practices have a dramatic effect on the final product. You can have two wines next to each other that taste very dissimilar: one lean, steely, with racy acidity, the other velvety smooth, honeyed, and slightly sweet. Yet, both are made with the Chenin Blanc grape. This propensity to reflect its environment in the final wine makes understanding the terroir of your glass even more important for Chenin Blanc.

Wade Cellars is still in its fledgling stages. This passion project of NBA superstar Dwane Wade upon his retirement in 2019, and the 2020 Chenin Blanc has quickly become one of my favorites in that very short time. The grapes are grown in Clarksburg, California; an area famed for its uniquely fertile, mineral-rich soils that have been washed down from the Sierras. A nightly fog rolls in from the San Francisco Bay that cools the grapes from the sunbaked days. The vineyards are planted with mostly Chenin Blanc, as these factors suit the grape more so than other noble varietals. The grapes for Three by Wade are fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. They then undergo full malolactic fermentation, converting the sharp malic acid into more round, softer-tasting lactic acid.

The Three by Wade Chenin Blanc pours a pale gold color. The aromas burst from the glass as you swirl; on the nose, you’ll find teddy grahams, fresh squeezed lemonade and ripe pineapple. As you move the pleasantly mouth-filling palate, the flavors transition to honey tossed crisp green apple and zesty lime backed up by a mouthwatering acidity. Simply put, Wade Cellar's Chenin Blanc is a slam dunk when it comes to value and quality. Enjoy this wine paired with summer salads and grilled chicken, or solo as a simple summer refresher.

Regular: $16.99 | TWS Sale: $12.99

The geology of the Loire Valley can be broken up into 3 sections: the Massif Central, the Bassin Parisien, and the Massif Amoricain. The Bassin Parisien is home to Sancerre, Touraine, Quincy, Reuilly, Anjou, Saumur, Pouilly-Fume, Vouvray and Montlouis. During the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (approximately 137 million years ago), this area was a shallow sea, of which the seabed compressed overtime to form limestone. This chalky bedrock has great influence over the wines grown there today. The Massif Central and the Massif Armoricain have a geology that is quite different. These areas were also once a seabed, but an ancient pre-Pangea Paleozoic (541 million years ago) seabed. This seabed became caught between shifting tectonic plates during the formation of Pangea over millions of years. Some of these sediments were forced into the earth, creating metamorphic rock and other sediments were forced upward into new mountain ranges. The metamorphic rock that was made became schist, gneiss, orthogneiss, while some pockets became molten and crystallized into granite. It is in the Massif Armoricain that that we can find Muscadet.

In the large span of the Loire Valley, Muscadet can be found to the west in the lower Loire. The proximity to the Atlantic Ocean creates a maritime climate that is cool and temperate with relatively mild summers and winters. The Loire, Sevre, and Maine rivers maintain a constant supply of water to the region and higher humidity than more inland regions. Despite being a flat region, the rocky and sandy soils of schist, gneiss, and mica drain well and impart minerality and lighter body to the wines. These crisp, sea spray wines can have the sharp edges rounded off by aging on the lees (dead yeast cells from the fermentation). While this is a decision that can made in winemaking, one might also consider it part of the terroir since it is common in the region. Brin R de la Grange from Domaine Raphael Luneau is a classic Muscadet de Serve et Main sur lie. The wine is grown sustainably and aged on the lees for several months. The lemon/lime custard nose hints at the roundness in the beginning of the palate. The plump mouthfeel leans out to a minerally citrus finish with a kiss of salt.

Regular: $21.99 | TWS Sale: $16.99

The Careme Vouvray "Spring" falls into the dry and still category. Crisp, fresh and fruity, this crowd-pleasing, yet complex Vouvray offers traces of apple, pear, peach, honeysuckle and citrus. A vibrant acidity complements an abundance of minerality keeping the wine beautifully balanced. This wine is a perfect accompaniment to a variety of foods from fish or chicken dishes, to quiches, soups and veggie dishes.