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750ml
Bottle:
$16.20
$18.00
12 bottles:
$14.25
Crisp passion fruit and lemon leaf with a whiff of white pepper on the nose. The same flavours make an immediate...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.90
12 bottles:
$17.54
100% Chenin Blanc. From a combination of certified-organic estate fruit and some sourced fruit. Whole-cluster press;...
750ml
Bottle:
$27.60
12 bottles:
$27.05
700ml
Bottle:
$154.80
6 bottles:
$141.60
Robust notes of cinnamon, pastry custard, banana, and smokey incense on the nose precede a weighty palate of black...
750ml
Bottle:
$10.99
A crisp, expressive, light-bodied wine. Light straw in appearance. Vibrant aromas of quince, pear and pineapple. On...
![Myburgh Bros [Joostenberg] Chenin Blanc Old Vine 2023 750ml](https://www.saratogawine.com/files/images/cached_thumbs/af/af25c469348214099cb0899cc3235fe7.jpg){kind=small}
750ml
Bottle:
$11.90
$12.50
12 bottles:
$11.88
Ripe apple and hints of peach on the nose and the palate. Subtle chalky notes add complexity and interest. The palate...
750ml
Bottle:
$42.00
12 bottles:
$41.16
• Practicing Organic.
• 100% Chenin Blanc.
• Lyman Ranch (Amador County).
• Red granitic soils.
• Planted...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.50
12 bottles:
$13.23
A good example of why Chenin has for a long time been the workhorse and favorite in South Africa but is now starting...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.94
$15.17
12 bottles:
$13.18
Produced from 100% Chenin Blanc This off-dry wine gives a sweet sensation with a dry finish on the palate. A...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.30
12 bottles:
$13.59
Stone fruit and citrus notes are at the core of this wine, with a splash of salt water. The palate is bright, with...
Chenin Blanc Japanese Whiskey 1969 2023
Originating in France yet now grown in many parts of the New World, Chenin Blanc is one of the most versatile and highly regarded white wine grape varietals on earth. These green skinned grapes hold a relatively high acid content, and as such can be used for making still white wines of exceptional quality, as well as superb sparkling wines (such as the Crémant wines of the Loire Valley) and extremely aromatic dessert wines. Their natural transparency means that they are a fine grape for expressing their terroir in the bottle, and winemakers often experiment with this varietal to coax unusual and intense flavors from the grapes, such as allowing the development of noble rot on the fruit in order to make sweet and viscous wines of a unique character.
Whisky might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Japanese fine produce, but over the past one hundred years, this fascinating and multi-faceted country has diligently forged a unique whisky identity which is growing in popularity, and which is entirely its own.
The story of Japanese whisky begins in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru was sent to Scotland to undertake a tour of single malt distilleries in the Highlands, and bring home a knowledge of whisky and distillation skills. He returned full of inspiration, helped no doubt by his new Scottish wife, and alongside his friend, Shinjiro Torii, set up what would become a successful whisky industry.
Today, the Japanese whisky industry is spread over a relatively small handful of distilleries, which continue to use Scottish techniques and recipes, but with a hefty dose of distinctly Japanese experimentalism. This is displayed most obviously in the barrelling techniques the Japanese use - to create a distinctly Oriental set of tasting notes, native Japanese oakwood casks are used for ageing, alongside casks taken from plum wine producers, which impart a beautiful set of floral flavors to the whisky.
While some distilleries produce some excellent single malts, the majority of Japanese whiskies are blended, which reveals a unique set of flavors and aromas ranging from honeysuckle and orange blossom, to toffee and acetone.