Chenin Blanc: Geology of the Three Major Geologic Regions

In the last blog, Chenin Blanc: Geology of the Loire, I ended by writing that next blog would be a closer look at the three geologic regions of the Massif Central, the Paris Basin and the Massif Armoricain. This dive into the soils of the region is to answer the question of why Chenin Blanc found a home in the Loire valley.

It was very interesting to read that the Massif Central, where the source of the Loire river is located is made up of 450 extinct volcanoes some of which were still raging only 10,000 years ago. The lava which was the result of volcanic activity in the region metamorphosed into deposits of granite, gneiss, and schist (slate).
Following the northerly journey of the Loire river, the geological region changes from the Massif Central to the Paris Basin. (For a very abbreviated explanation of the formation of the Paris Basin, please check out this blogpost: Champagne Part 2: Geology).
About 300 million years ago, the Massif Armoricain and the Massif Central were already formed and were part of an extremely high chain of mountains. The foot of these mountains was a warm and humid jungle and over the course of tens of millions of years, these mountains were slowly eroded. The sediment rolling down the hillsides and over the jungle formed a giant arid desert of sediment. This desert area began slowly tilting, allowing an ocean to creep over the basin eventually forming the basement of the Paris basin. Through geologic time, the oceans receded, then came back again, receded, came back and receded once more. The massive amounts of planktonic algae that grew formed the current day chalk in these regions.
The Loire river is now taking a left turn and making it's way through the Massif Armoricain. The Massif Armoricain like the Massif Central is made up of cooled lava from ancient volcanoes, with the oldest rocks thought to be 650 million years old. Granite, gneiss, schist, and other metamorphic rocks can be found here.
We have now entered the region where Chenin Blanc found it's home.

Next blog will be about the regions in the Loire valley where Chenin Blanc is grown and how the soils impacts the type of Chenin Blanc that is made.

References:
1. Jon-David Headrick Selections, Geologgy and Geography of the Loire.

Chenin Blanc: Geology of the Loire

Since my husband and I both have scientific backgrounds, we can't help but ask questions. When we made our first Chenin Blanc wine in 2015, my husband likened it to drinking "jet fuel", it was so acidic to say it was racy was being euphemistic. We were surprised because we were familiar with the Chenin Blanc flavors from Vouvray, being partial to the wines made by Domaine Huet. What we ended up making was something entirely different so, my husband decided to do some investigating and learned that our wines are similar to the Chenin Blanc made in Savennières.
We are asking questions again since our Chenin Blanc is grown on granitic soils. I am on a virtual visit to the Loire and wondering what it is about the soils in that region that produce such memorable Chenin Blanc. One of the best articles online is one that I found called Geologgy and Geography of the Loire. I really do enjoy learning about the geology of a wine making region and have done deep dives before on Champagne and Alsace:

• Champagne Part 2: Geology
• Alsace Part 2: The Geology - The Layout of the Land
• Alsace Part 2: The Geology - The Location of the Upper Rhine Graben
• Alsace Part 2: The Geology - The Vosges and the Black Forest Mountain
• Alsace Part 2: The Geology - The Vosges Mountain Paleozoic Evolution
• Alsace Part 2: The Geology - Putting it All Together

The geology of the Loire is really about the three regions through which the Loire River runs: the Massif Central, the Paris Basin and the Massif Armoricain. The source of the Loire river lies in the eastern Massif Central and flows mostly north and then west for 629 miles and eventually reaches the Bay of Biscay in the Atlantic ocean, just to the west of Muscadet. On this journey, the Loire drains almost 50,000 square miles, fully a fifth of France.

The three geologic regions of the Massif Central, the Paris Basin and the Massif Armoricain is what the next blogs will be about. Thanks for hanging with me!
References:
1. Jon-David Headrick Selections, Geologgy and Geography of the Loire.

Winery Signs Went Up!

We are getting one small step closer to opening up our "winery" for sales. We enlisted the help of Jeff and Carolyn from Coastal Graphics in Rhode Island to help us put signs on our door and a sign on our awning.

Before that, my husband worked with Kimberly from Krushgraphics Design Studio to finetune our label which is a view of the Mystic River and Long Island Sound from our vineyard on Quoketaug Hill. It was Kimberly's advice that our logo should be consistent with our label. Since growing grapes and making wine is our passion and "we" are from Hawaii, we wanted to incorporate the passionfruit into our logo. The logo is a stylized version of a passion vine with a flower and a fruit. It is replicated to look like a Hawaiian quilt design. This logo, our wine label and font styles will be our brand.
So, yesterday, while in the sweltering heat, we got a call from Jeff saying that he could put up our signs! I welcomed the call since I was ready to call it quits in the vineyard. We went to our winery space at Taugwonk and met Jeff and his wife Carolyn. They came prepared with window cleaner and all the accoutrements to put up our door sign. Jeff is a perfectionist and measured the sign and placement many times before he was satisfied that everything was at the same height and straight. Here is what our door sign looks like:

Next, Jeff and Carolyn went to the back of the building and put up the sign on the soffit. Once again, Jeff and Carolyn were critical of the placement, ensuring that it was well centered.

We really like how the signs turned out! A huge shoutout and thank you to Jeff and Carolyn Miner at Coastal Graphics and Kimberly Rushforth at Krushgraphics Design Studio!

Foods that Pair Well with Chenin Blanc

This evening, our son sent this photo of huli-huli chicken (Hawaiian style grilled chicken) sliders he made and paired it with our 2019 Chenin Blanc! He said that the pairing worked well. While I would not have thought that huli-huli chicken sliders would pair with Chenin Blanc, this played right into my blog for foods that pair with Chenin Blanc.
My reference is the article from Vinerra which I blogged about in Sensory Essence of Chenin Blanc Wines. Chenin Blanc can be made in a wide variety of styles so pairing Chenin Blanc is really about what kind of Chenin Blanc you have. Vinerra suggests the following pairings:¹

A more in depth pairing with the type of Chenin Blanc style:

Style	Pairing
Sparkling Chenin Blanc	Dry Chenin Blanc Styles: Ideal with fried and fatty foods due to its high acidity and effervescence. Examples include fried chicken, pork belly, and French fries Demi-Sec/Sweet Styles: Perfectly complements spicy dishes, balancing the heat with its sweetness. Pair with Thai green curry, chicken vindaloo, or spicy Mexican food. It also goes well with sweet and sour dishes like sweet and sour pork and desserts such as chocolate-covered strawberries and cheesecake.
Young and Fruity Chenin Blanc	This style is vibrant and matches well with: Delicate seafood like oysters and crab Light fish dishes Vegetarian soups and ceviche Cheese boards featuring goat cheese and Gruyère Sushi and smoked salmon.
Rich and Full-Bodied Chenin Blanc	Aged in oak, this style pairs with heartier dishes: Meaty dishes like pork chops or roast pork with sweet sauces Poultry, particularly well with Thanksgiving turkey Grilled seafood or chicken with buttery or creamy sauces Rich cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, Gruyère, and Comté.
Semi-Sweet Chenin Blanc	With its residual sugar and aromatic profile, it complements: Southeast Asian cuisine, including spicy woks and curries Sweet and sour dishes like pad Thai Mexican cuisine Strong cheeses such as Taleggio, Munster, and Raclette​.
Vegan Pairings	Chenin Blanc's versatility extends to vegan dishes, with the young and fruity style pairing well with: Vegan sushi and ceviche Light salads and summer vegetables Grilled vegetable dishes and avocado toast

What I learned from reading the Vinerra article was that Chenin Blanc is a very versatile wine! While I was aware that Chenin Blanc is a very good pairing with oysters, who knew that it would pair with poultry!
References:
1. Vinerra, Chenin Blanc: an In-Depth Wine Profile

Sensory Essence of Chenin Blanc Wines

My husband and I are fans of Chenin Blanc. When it came time to plant our vineyard, we planted nearly half of the vineyard with Chenin Blanc. Why do we like Chenin Blanc so much? Versatility, thy name is Chenin Blanc. In our first attempt in 2015, we made such a seeringly acidic Chenin Blanc that we also added back some unfermented juice to a portion of the fermented wine and made an a la Riesling-style Chenin Blanc Sussreserve. We also made a Petillant Naturel or Pét-nat, sparkling wine in 2018 and more recently, a botrysized late harvest Chenin Blanc.
In looking on the Internet, I found a very comprehensive article on Vinerra¹ on the aroma and flavor profiles of Chenin Blanc wine.
Here is the summary.
The aroma profile of a Chenin Blanc can be categorized into:¹

• Primary Aromas: Fruit notes, such as: yellow apple, quince, pear, passion fruit, lime, honeydew melon, peach, persimmon, and mandarin orange. Floral and herbaceous qualities, like: lemon verbena, ginger, honey, honeysuckle, jasmine, chamomile, saffron, and apple blossom.
• Secondary Aromas: They develop from winemaking processes and include notes reminiscent of buttered popcorn, butterscotch, lemon curd, nutmeg, graham cracker, meringue, marzipan, and brioche due to oak aging.
• Tertiary Aromas: Emerge as the wine ages, offering complex scents such as coleslaw, sake and cheese rind (in oxidative styles)

The flavor profile of a Chenin Blanc is also very varied:

• Primary Notes: Fresh and zesty fruit flavours of tart pear, quince, ginger, and chamomile in dry styles. Richer notes of ripe pear, ginger, jasmine, honeycomb and tropical fruit flavours in off-dry versions. Sweet styles bring forth dried persimmon, toasted almond, mango, ginger, and mandarin orange.
• Secondary Flavours (influenced by fermentation and aging techniques): the most common secondary notes include buttery, nutty, and creamy textures alongside baking spices.
• Tertiary Flavours: With aging, Chenin Blanc can develop flavours of dried fruits, nuts, and a complex honeyed character, alongside a notable minerality in some terroirs.

Knowing these attributes of Chenin Blanc is key to how to pair this wine with food. I'll do that on a subsequent blog. Please stay tuned!
References:
1. Vinerra, Chenin Blanc: an In-Depth Wine Profile

Vintage 2024: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

It's July! This is the month that many things happen in the vineyard all at once. The shoots are growing, berry set is occuring, weeds are growing and the grass needs mowing!
The photo on the right shows the west most rows of Auxerrois. Our task right now is to get the shoots that are in the alleys to be upright and shoot tucked. The first row has been shoot tucked but the second row has not. The shoots are growing out of the top trellis and will soon need to be hedged.
We managed to conquer the 5 rows of Auxerrois which was a day's work and we are now in the Chenin Blanc. But, while we were busy with the Auxerrois, the Chenin Blanc grew and looks like this:

For some reason, the vines in the linepost at the north end grow very vigorously and the weight of the growing shoot makes the shoot lean into the trellis and getting tangled there with their tendrils. We can't let this happen so we are cutting those leaning shoots to give us some time before we have to hedge.
As we work very closely with the vines, we can see that the Auxerrois and Chenin Blanc are past berry set and they look good! Here is a photo of the berry set in the Auxerrois and the Chenin Blanc:

While we focus on shoot tucking, this summer, we have a secret weapon. Our granddaughter is here to help us! Last year was her first year at Camp Vineyard and this year, she is quite the pro! This morning, my husband and I were tackling the Chenin Blanc and she did all of the mowing around the vineyard and 10 alleys of vines where the mower could pass without running into vines hanging into the alley.
If we are not careful and keep on task with the shoot tucking, our vineyard will look like this photo that I took on July 24, 2023!

Hopefully, we are poised this year to prevent the Everything, Everywhere, All At Once scenario like the one shown above!