Winemaker Notes
This beautiful Chenin Blanc has a light honey-straw color and an aromatic array of floral notes with a core of stone fruits. The palate is a mixture of fresh peaches and Asian pear, with a minerality that is tied together by bright, natural acidity. Barrels give this wine weight and texture without covering up the beautiful tropical flavors, leaving you with a bright, fresh finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: After a three hour, marathon trade tasting in which I tasted 83 wines, the 2017 Aperture Chenin Blanc stood out as the best wine of the event. It was such a standout that I went back for a second pour. TASTING NOTES: This is America's best dry Chenin Blanc. Its aromas and flavors of chalk, flowers, and stone fruits should pair outstandingly with a plate filled with brine-fresh, raw oysters. (Tasted: August 20, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. It shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. Somm Secret—Landing in South Africa in the mid 1800s, today the country has double the acreage of Chenin Blanc planted compared to France. There is also a new wave of dedicated producers committed to restoring old Chenin vines.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.