Chenin blanc has an enormous range of expression. It can be anywhere from very dry to very sweet depending on vintage, terroir, and winemaker. Our favorite expression is bone chenin blanc – at its best the grape delivers exquisite balance of orchard and stone fruit, fine minerality, and carefully channeled energy.
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, dry package.
Paget’s 2023 Melodie is quietly beautiful, with an almost Chablisien array of grapeskin and minerals – clean, pure and delightful. The nose is floral and dry, with faint pear notes and a hint of apple. Even in a warm year Paget has managed to craft a refreshing cuvée — at a steely 12% alcohol it’s beautifully balanced, and a refreshing break from the palate-coating wines that dominate the market these days. Serve with fresh goat cheese on crusty bread and rejoice in simplicity.
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Paget Chenin Blanc “Melodie” 2023
bottle price: $22
