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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:
$17.44
$18.79
12 bottles:
$17.10
A fresh and pure unwooded Chenin Blanc, made to express the delicious purity of the grape. A lovely wine to enjoy on...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.99
6 bottles:
$19.20
Fondatore means "founder," and the name of this wine name bears special significance for Cleto Chiarli. The...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.08
12 bottles:
$15.44
The Vecchia Modena Premium Lambrusco di Sorbara represents the history both of the Chiarli wine Company and of...
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:
$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:
$11.70
12 bottles:
$11.12
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 Lambrusco Mavrodaphne 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.
Some grape species are distinct and unique varietals, clearly separate from each of their cousins. Others, like Lambrusco and Muscat, are more like umbrella terms, featuring several subspecies which show slight differences from each other from region to region. Indeed, there are astonishingly more than 60 identified varieties of Lambrusco vines, and they are almost all used in the production of characterful Italian sparkling wines. They are distinguishable by their deep ruby blush, caused by strong pigments present in their skins, and their intensely perfumed character.
Lambrusco vines are grown in several Italian regions, although we most closely associate this varietal with Piedmont and Basilicata. It has also been grown successfully in Argentina and Australia. The varietal suffered from a fairly lowly reputation in the late 20th century, due to bulk, low cost production of Lambrusco sparkling wines, aimed at markets across northern Europe and America. However, things are rapidly changing, and the older, more traditional methods of bottle fermentation are returning, along with a higher level of quality and expression, as consumers become more discerning and demanding. Many of the Lambrusco sub-varieties have their own established DOC, such as Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Modena, where new regulations are keeping standards high and methods traditional.
In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.
Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.
Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.
Additional Information on Greek Wines
Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?