Chenin blanc has an enormous range of expression. It can be anywhere from bone dry to very sweet depending on vintage, terroir, and winemaker. Vouvray is the original source for Chenin Blanc, but the surrounding towns in the central Loire Valley produce excellent examples as well.
Several years ago we spent a few days in the Loire searching for a new source for Chenin Blanc. We enjoy the sweet stuff from time to time, but our main goal was to find a dry, refreshing, unoaked, affordable Chenin.
We don’t always find exactly what we expect when prospecting for new wines; but this time we hit the nail exactly on the head.
Nicolas Paget is an energetic and impassioned young winemaker in Touraine-Azay le Rideau (a neighbor to Vouvray). Like much Loire wine today, Paget’s wines are organic and low-intervention in style. They’re aromatically expressive and beautifully balanced — lush exotic fruit presented in a clean, fresh package.
Melodie offers Chenin’s pear-like fruit — clean, pure and delightful — with a perfectly dry mouthfeel. It works beautifully with food — think fish tacos or a wintery salad — but also on its own as an aperitif before a meal. Look for floral notes and yellow fruits in the nose, and a smooth mouth of pear, elderflower, and chalk.
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Paget Chenin blanc “Melodie” 2018
bottle price: $19
FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES