I used to muddle Chinon and Chenin; Chinon is an
appellation within the Loire Valley that (unusually for the Loire) makes mostly
red wine (mostly from Cabernet Franc), but which also makes some white wine
from (here the confusion) Chenin Blanc. So this is a Chenin from Chinon.
Quite a gold colour. The nose is an unusual blend of
honey, firecrackers and beeswax; the palate is dry, acidic and waxy. The effect
of struck matches in a waxy lemon would make me guess it was from the southern
Rhône if I were to taste it blind. While there’s no oaky taste to it, the
character does suggest a wine that has seen the inside of old (and hence
non-flavour-imparting) oak barrels.
Its stands up well to vinegary, mustardy foods. A
decade old from a superb vintage, this powerful wine seems to have already
reached that happy timeless stage from which it will hardly budge however long it’s kept.
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