Fall Creek Vineyards

Chenin Blanc is a people friendly grape, but, sadly, with few devotees in the wine aficionado community of North America. Personally, I’ve always thought Chenin Blanc has about the same potential to express its own varietal virtues and that of varied terroirs as does Chardonnay.

However, in the course of varietal recognition in our marketplace starting back in the 1960s, Chenin Blanc got cloaked in residual sugar, just as Chardonnay got cloaked in wood. Alas, in the rush to emulate Bordeaux and Burgundy (and not the Loire!), wood became the cloak of choice and Chardonnay became the fashion mannequin of choice.

So look on the bright side, you don’t need a bank loan to buy an interesting bottle of Chenin Blanc, and for a whopping $6.99 I recommend rediscovering the virtues of Chenin Blanc with this wine. Does the residual sugar mask too much? In my opinion, yes. Does it mask everything? Not by a long shot! Start with the enticing lemon yellow hue, and catch the citrus again in the nose, with tropical undertones. On the palate you’ll find refreshing floral and apple notes and a touch of straw, with acidity to balance the sweetness. This is, indeed, a people friendly wine. Noth’in wrong with that, pard’ner!

Reviewed April 10, 2007 by Roger Dial.