Chenin Blanc
Also known as Steen, Pineau de la Loire
Anjou, France
A high-acid white grape from the Loire that makes everything from bone-dry to lusciously sweet and sparkling wines, and is South Africa's most planted white.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Widely planted
Climate
Moderate climate
Ripening
Late season
Wine styles
Still, Sparkling, Dessert
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
France
Anjou-Saumur
Dry Savennières and sweet Coteaux du Layon, and the sparkling wines of Saumur.
Touraine (Vouvray, Montlouis)
Vouvray ranges from dry to sweet and sparkling, all on the grape's high acidity.
South Africa
Western Cape
As Steen, the country's most planted grape, from fresh whites to old-vine wines.
Background
Origin & History
Chenin Blanc has been grown in Anjou for over a thousand years; the abbey of Glanfeuil is often cited as recording it in the 9th century. DNA profiling shows a parent-offspring relationship with Savagnin, in which Savagnin is generally taken to be the parent; Sauvignon Blanc and Trousseau are close relatives, usually described as its siblings, though the details of those links are less settled. It is also a parent, crossed with Gouais Blanc, of Colombard, Balzac Blanc and Meslier-Saint-François.
Its sharp acidity lets it carry both sweetness and age: Vouvray, Savennières and the Coteaux du Layon make dry, off-dry, sparkling and botrytised versions that can last for decades. In South Africa, where it is called Steen, it is the most widely planted variety and drives a range from easy whites to old-vine wines.
Lineage
Family tree
Parentage not recorded — Chenin Blanc is an old variety of unknown origin. Click a related grape to explore its own lineage.