Voyager Estate 2014 Chenin Blanc Margaret River $20
It could possibly be one of the most underrated varieties in the world. Chenin blanc can make some fantastic wines. Capable of living decades in a good cellar, it has distinctive character and high natural acidity. It has an ability to express distinctive terroir yet, somehow, it seems to find itself too often in the role of workhorse overshadowed by its bolder and more pungent sibling sauvignon blanc.
It has found a home and some respect in Western Australia and makers like Voyager Estate take this variety more seriously than most. Its soon-to-be-released 2014 chenin blanc is a great example of the variety. There are quince and brown pear aromas with a touch of sweet fruit salad character but the finish is dry and crisp. There's plenty of flavour here and although it's a bit decadent a pairing with a sweet shellfish like lobster would be sublime.
While I realise chenin blanc's sibling sauvignon blanc still has a decent proportion of Australia's wine buying public hooked, there's potential for this lesser loved variety to have more of the market, particularly if they are all made as well as this 2014 Voyager Estate.
Fergus McGhie is sales and marketing manager at Mount Majura Vineyard, Canberra.
