When Decanter magazine produced a list of '100 wines to try before you die', hidden among the usual suspects of top Bordeaux and Burgundy labels was the 1947 Domaine Huet Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux Vouvray. The wine is a chenin blanc, a variety that will not jump to most drinkers' minds when selecting a white wine.
In France, chenin blanc is grown in the Loire River Valley; the district of Savennieres produces mainly dry wines, while Vouvray has a diversity of styles from dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling wines. Coteaux du Layon and its subdistrict of Bonnezeaux are known for their rich dessert wines made from late-harvested grapes infected with 'noble rot' (Botrytis cinerea).
South Africa, with its large area under vines, springs to mind as a producer of chenin blancs. The grape, locally known as steen, accounts for 18 per cent of all vines planted, more than chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. California's Central Valley is also home to significant plantings, and there the grape is the base for the 'cheap and cheerful jug wines'.
In New Zealand, a few boutique producers are making high-quality chenin blanc akin to the French style, but neither there nor in Australia is the grape a major variety.
For winemakers, chenin blanc is a blank canvas - the perfect variety for expressing the origin and climate in which the grape is grown, with techniques emphasising the wine's purity and terroir. Generally, winemakers avoid accenting the wine with wood as it can overpower its fruit flavour.
These are not wines that will go through secondary fermentation as this would destroy their crisp acidity - an acidity that means the wines can age for several decades. As the wine matures, it develops a deep, golden hue and the flavours evolve to take on increasingly honeyed and nutty notes.