Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Sliced pears, yellow apples, lemon balm and lanolin on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with bright acidity and a generous, textural palate. This is a vibrant, layered and pure expression of New World chenin that benefited from the cool vintage.
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Wine Spectator
There’s an appealing honeyed note to the core of baked apple, poached pear and ginger, with accents of white pepper, lemon thyme and salted caramel. A vibrant, juicy thread comes in on the finish.
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.
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.