13 of the Best Chenin Blancs From the Loire Valley
July 23, 2025
by Edward Deitch
It’s crisp, complex, has great fruit, and is a star of France’s Loire Valley. And no, we’re not talking about Sancerre, the Sauvignon Blanc appellation having a moment as wine drinkers turn increasingly to fresh whites with moderate levels of alcohol.
The other Loire white you should consider is Chenin Blanc, a variety that produces some remarkable and versatile wines that, unlike Sauvignon, can be found in a range of styles, from sparkling to dry to off-dry to sweet.
“The breadth of the aromatic profile of Chenin is so special that you can literally use any of the wine styles and put a bottle on the table and use it from start to finish, aperitif through dessert, and find something to pair with it,” says Sarah Hwang, a co-owner of Domaine Huet in Vouvray, perhaps the world’s most famous Chenin Blanc producer.
It’s hard to reduce that profile to a few descriptors, but what Loire Chenin does not have is the often racy brashness — the tartness and grassiness — of the Sauvignons. After a broad tasting in the Loire Valley over four days as part of the third Chenin Blanc International Celebration — aimed at raising the image and recognition of Chenin Blanc — what emerged for me was a gentler fruit profile, including, but not limited to: yellow apple, pear, stone and tropical fruits, citrus, almonds, and herbs. They are, to put it simply, quite easy to drink.
The best of them are full of complexity that comes from the predominantly limestone, clay, and flint soils where the grapes are grown. Loire winemakers like to call the minerality in Chenin a “saltiness” on the finish of the wines, though it’s not “salty” as we typically think of it. For me, it’s more textural, a “chalky” quality that frames the fruit.
Chenin is grown throughout the middle Loire, in the large Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine regions and their many sub-appellations. While Vouvray is the best known, others like white Chinon, an appellation famous for its reds, and the phenomenal Savennières and Jasnières, are worth seeking out. So are the Crémant de Loire wines, which, I was reminded on tasting a superb one at Domaine de Rocheville in Saumur-Champigny, are among the top non-Champagne French sparklers.
So why isn’t Chenin Blanc more front-and-center among wine drinkers given its versatility, food-friendliness, and ability to express the terroir in which it is grown, whether from the Loire Valley or South Africa, where Chenin is the most widely planted white grape?
I put the question to Nathalie Spielmann, a conference participant and marketing professor at NEOMA Business School in Reims, France, who specializes in wine.
She agrees with the contention that Chenin Blanc may suffer from an “otherness” compared with, say, Sauvignon Blanc. “There’s not as much availability, it doesn’t grow in as many places, and so it’s got a very specific identity to either the Loire or to South Africa,” she says, “and if you’re in the United States both of those places are far, one of them doesn’t speak English, and that makes it intimidating from the get-go.” She adds, “If we’re far from our consumers we have to do a better job of making the story more explicit and closer to them.”
That’s what Natalie and Brian Brown are trying to do with their Rococo lineup of small-production Chenins in Paso Robles, Calif. Natalie tells me at the conference that, “as much as there is negativity surrounding how millennials are drinking, how Gen Z is drinking, I think a lot of it comes down to how people are interested in trying new things.” And in that regard, she believes that Chenin “is well positioned. It’s easy to pronounce — and it tastes good.” Brian Brown adds that Chenin and Syrah are similar in that “you can grow them in multiple climates and achieve a high-quality wine.”
For Sarah Hwang at Domaine Huet, Chenin needs no defense. “I think that everybody needs to have a little bit more confidence and trust in the varietal and not buy into this idea, as you said, that it’s the ‘other white grape.’ No, it’s not. It’s this magical varietal that can produce balanced wines that age like no other varietal, even Riesling.”
And so, the next time you’re in the mood for a delicious, under-the-radar white, consider moving beyond “the Sancerre” and ask your server or retailer, “What Chenin Blancs do you have?” The wines, from my perspective, should be flying off the shelves.
On the list below, I focus mainly on dry Chenins from the Loire because they’re the most widely available in the U.S.
Here are 13 of the best Chenin Blancs from the Loire Valley:
Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray ‘Cuvée Silex’ 2022
There’s a good deal of oak in this organic Chenin Blanc but it’s well integrated with the flavors of red apple, mint and other herbs, and a vanilla layer. It’s also an under-$25 bargain as quality Loire Chenins go.
Price: $22
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