Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2019

29 May 2020By Yvonne

Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2019 $28 If you’re looking for a fresh, creamy, apple-packed wine that delivers a cleansing slap around the chops then this Hawke’s Bay grown chenin is just the ticket.  Ultra-juicy and stitched together with a solid, mineral thread and finishing with a squeak of peardrop and almond.  … Read More

Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2019

24 April 2020By Yvonne

Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2019 $29 Returning to his dry-style roots not seen since 2013, winemaker Gordon Russell has taken fruit for the first time from Ian and Linda Quinn’s Two Terraces Vineyard located west of Hastings in Maraekakaho where they grow two clones of chenin, 220 and 880.  Handpicked, cooled … Read More

Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2018

6 July 2019By Yvonne

Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2018 ($29) Golden, glossy in the glass and heaving with crisp, lipsmacking acidity, toasted coconut and grapefruit characters alongside roasted apples and all manner of mineral-induced magic in the mouth.  Chenin blanc hails from the Loire Valley in France (which is where its winemaker Guillaume Thomas is also from) … Read More

Black Estate Home North Canterbury Chenin Blanc 2017 $45 5stars

4 January 2019By Yvonne

The Naish family planted chenin blanc on their ‘Home’ vineyard back in 2011, and the vines thrive under the baking Waipara sun and those wild Nor’Easter winds. This is the fourth vintage made by their winemaker, Nicholas Brown, an obsessive fan of wines from the Mid-Loire Valley in France (where chenin and cabernet franc are … Read More

The Lazy Dog Queensberry Central Otago Sweet On Chenin 2018

11 August 2018By Yvonne

The Lazy Dog Queensberry Central Otago Sweet On Chenin 2018 A blend of late-picked Chenin Blanc and Gewurztraminer by Jeff Sinnott, at 70g/l residual sugar it’s definitely sweet, but it’s tangy fresh and balanced.  I like the toffee apple and honey notes that combine with musky spices, lychee and grilled peach flavours on the finish.  … Read More

The Lazy Dog Queensberry Central Otago Chenin Blanc 2017

11 August 2018By Yvonne

The Lazy Dog Queensberry Central Otago Chenin Blanc 2017 $23 Crafted by winemaker Jeff Sinnott from Diana and Dean Harker from chenin blanc vines they’ve been growing since 2008.  This is a dry, elegant style, packed to the eyeballs with lime and green apple, a hint (just a skerrick) of honeysuckle and loads and loads … Read More