Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is very old chenin, planted around 1960, and it has a terrific fusion of lemons, apples and pears with a succulent, sturdy, and dense feel to the palate and plenty of smooth-honed texture. Impressive. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chenin Blanc comes from a 47-year-old dry-farmed vineyard. It was barrel fermented and bottled unfiltered. The nose opens slowly, giving up minerally aromas of crushed stone, sliced Bosc pear, fresh white blossoms and bruised red apple. It’s revealing much more in the mouth, with a medium to full body and rounded texture, offering ripe stone and orchard fruits with savory accents and a wicked mineral line. It has great juicy freshness and finishes long and focused. 920 cases produced.
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.
The vineyards just inland from the Sacramento River Delta, along the deep banks of the Sacramento River, comprise the Clarksburg AVA. The River Delta channels in cold air and fog from the Pacific Ocean creating a cooling effect in this area. Warm summer days quickly change to chilly evenings and make a great environment for grape growing. While a range of grape varieties grow here, Chenin blanc stands out the most, distinguishing itself in the appellation.
The Clarksburg Wine Growers and Vintners Association, made up of nearly 50 grower members and over a dozen wineries, has been working since the late 1980s to promote the high quality wine of its region.