Clandestine Vineyards Break Free Petite Blancs 2022

 

Deadly smooth, this Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer blend slides through like silk. 

Clandestine Vineyards Break Free Bliss Bomb Pet Nat 2022

 

I'm happy to admit I'm yet to board the Pet Nat train although I'm open-minded enough to keep trying to find 'the one' to completely convert me. Clandestine Vineyards vintner Nick Stacy says this cheeky number will do just that. 

Brash Higgins Chenin Blanc 2020

 

A considered wine, much like its maker. If you are after a wine that provokes thought as you sip slow, this may tick all your boxes. Its eye-catching label is a great start.

Garbin Estate Chenin Blanc 2021

 

Plenty of crowd-pleasing appeal with this Chenin Blanc from the Swan Valley's Garbin Estate. Long lunches under big shady trees the go.

Aphelion PIR Chenin Blanc 2020

 

A ripping example of Chenin Blanc that could be mistaken for a Fiano. Race to this.

Schwarz Wine Co. Chenin Blanc 2020

Chenin Blanc from the Barossa. There is not much in the glass to get me skipping about admittedly.

Garbin Estate Chenin Blanc 2020

Chenin Blanc is a variety that doesn't come across this tasting bench all that much. Western Australia is where it has found a happy home but there are a few pockets here and there dotted around the rest of the country.

Brash Higgins Chenin 2018

There is more Chenin Blanc in Australia than many would suspect. Although there are large pockets in Western Australia, the vast array of producers accessed on VinoDiversity is worth checking out. Here's a delicious dry wine - a golden sunrise in the glass.

Schwarz Wine Co Chenin Blanc 2018

Such an easy drinking and approachable wine from a variety many would have seen little of. Go here for an easy kick back partner.

Sherrah White et Al 2017

Your cure for a long day at the office is here! Such a beautiful wine injecting refreshment into your soul. Nothing but freshness with some texture from two unusual bedfellows. But as winemaker Alex Sherrah says, "They're brilliant partners in flavour crime." True that.

Schwarz Wine Co Chenin Blanc 2017

Tight, vibrant and fresh. There's few Chenin Blanc produced in the Barossa and not many more in Australia with the main players coming from the west.

Amberley Estate Chimney Brush Chenin Blanc 2015

There's some crowd pleasing appeal here, a bit of sweetness does that for some.

Expressive aromas of tropical fruit headlined by pineapple are quite inviting. Crisp to taste with some slight honeyed characters but there's just a bit too much sweetness for me here to get on board. Two sips and I was done.

A drink now wine but not for me.

85/100

Region: Western Australia (Various)
RRP: $15
Source: Retail

www.amberleyestate.com.au

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Over the Way Chenin Blanc 2014

This is a project wine of fellow wine writer and blogger Patrick Eckel. He makes a range of wines including Lagrein from Heathcote, Shiraz from the Grampians and a Pinot Noir also from Sunbury. Chardonnay and a Blanc de Blanc are also in the pipeline. He recently moved to Macedon to get even more serious about the winemaking side of things.

A single vineyard wine from Sunbury's Longview Creek, this is whole bunch pressed and wild yeast fermented in barrel spending nine months on lees. 1500L produced.

It has more texture than any Chenin Blanc that has passed these lips. Some baked and oxidised apple first up but there's a creaminess from the time on skins. And to be honest, it does taste a little 'skinsy'. There's a tangy acid too. The longer it sits in the glass a clover like savoury thing lobs up. Spiced apple pie perhaps.

In all, a good wine and one which needs some chicken or a creamy dish to ride it home.

Good+

Region: Sunbury
RRP: $18
Source: Sample

www.shop.overtheway.com.au

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Willow Bridge Dragonfly Chenin Blanc 2014

There's not much Chenin Blanc coming from Australian vineyards, and if it does, it mainly comes from Western Australia.

Apples, guava, passion fruit husk, some grassiness and what appears to be lime pith. Some barrel fermentation adds texture. There's a slippery type feel left in the mouth but the wine is quite refreshing. The Dragonfly range from Willow Bridge delivers again.

Good.

Region: Geographe, Western Australia
RRP: $18
Source: Sample

www.willowbridge.com.au

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Voyager Estate Chenin Blanc 2012

I sat down with a good friend The Wine Punter and lined up ten wines in a blind tasting. This wine was Wine #8 and it shone like a beacon, head and shoulders above the rest.

Approachability deluxe, we were both surprised it was a Chenin Blanc upon reveal, yet at the same time very pleased with the result.

My first whiff was filled with pineapple lollies, tropical fruits, underlying cashews and apricot nectar.

A very polished palate with stone fruit and tropical flavours and an unmistakable creaminess. Length was excellent and the wine beautifully balanced and structured- approachable deluxe!

Asian foods is written all over this. Drink now and enjoy.

Available at a wide range of retailers.

Who: Voyager Estate http://www.voyagerestate.com/
What: Chenin Blanc (13% alc)

Where: Margaret River

When: 2012

How: $20

Follow them: www.twitter.com/voyagerestate

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