We love to take the road less traveled on our wineswinging adventures. We always say yes if there is a chance to taste the unfamiliar wine. Quite often it leads us to wines we wouldn't taste and have a chance to fall in love with otherwise.

Our most recent discovery is 2016 Jasniers "Cuvee du Silex" by Pascal Janvier. It's a 100% Chenin Blanc that results in dry wines and is a relief if over-alcoholic wines are getting to you.

This area used to produce wines worthy of a king and was preferred by Henri IV and was in the cellars of Louis XIV. Now it's a shadow of what it used to be, and Pascal Janvier is leading the revival of its winemaking tradition of Loire region.

Now to wine!

Jasniers "Cuvee du Silex" by Pascal Janvier 2016 Tasting Notes

Color

The color of 2016 Cuvee du Silex is pale lemon with barely noticeable pink hue.

Nose

The nose will take you on an unusual journey between the savory and fruity aromas. It greats you with wax, honey, flint and gunpowder reflecting the soils. The fruit comes through as yellow apple and almost like a pickled apple with sweet and sour notes.

Back in the old days our parents made raw sauerkraut and added whole apples to it. A week or two later we ate sauerkrout with fermented apples. This taste of apples came through in the wine, but in much more legant form, which we liked.

Palate

On the palate, it's a medium body with high acid and flavors of wax, honey, flinty mineral and, yes, pickled yellow apple. Think of an apple that is sweet and salty and has a little ting to it with a pleasant vegetal note.

Overall, it's a good quality wine with a medium length finish. It should pair well with pork or roasted chicken. We paired it with crab and enjoyed both: the meal and the wine!