 2009 In these challenging economic times, it is rare to have people beating a path to our door in anticipation of the release of any wine but the legend of the Chenin Blanc continues! From its early beginnings as one of the first wines to trickle out of the then unknown region of Martinborough, pioneer Stan Chifney created a following for this variety. 30 years on, we still have people enquiring after his eighties-appropriately named “Chifonnay” sparkling Chenin but my answer is always the same –we wouldn’t waste the grapes on that! (no offence Stanley) The 2009 is our 10th Chenin Blanc and effortlessly picks up the gambit. From the intricate mid-straw colour, the nose marches from the glass with a certain military regimentation. Long twisted strands of granny smith skin wrap effortlessly around vanilla pod and heady guava gelato aromas. Sticky lemon curd and a honey-mustard glaze hang moreish and heavy in the air as they used to do when Nanas Christmas ham came out of the oven. Sweet havarti cheese, hints of white chocolate and an inviting waft of pumpkin seed, cracked fresh from oven dried kernels are so inviting that tasting the wine is now inevitable. Here the proposition gets so serious, it’s scary. Some light melon fruit and zesty orange sorbet are viewed in glimpses through the hardened phenolic bars of a maximum security prison. The reassuring tang of armour piercing acidity patrols the security zone while the 20g/l of retained sweetness is, like the executioners face, always well hidden. There are roasty, toasty poppy seed characters mid palate which are pinned in a whalebone corset up against a wall of solid phenolics with the respect of a screaming silence. All its ducks are in a row and the rules of engagement are very much Marquis of Queensbury. The finish is agonisingly long with tingling acidity that ripples up and down the sides of the tongue while the wine cries out for crab meat risotto
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We believe our Chenin Blanc is best served at approximately 11 degrees Celsius. |
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