Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
A really nifty wine, the minerally-scented 2013 Lieu Dit Chenin Blanc plays fresh and perky; a real wine made for foodies and super lovers of true-to-type wines. Winemaker Eric Railsback, a sommelier at RN74 in San Francisco, has become a first-rate vignerons.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sporting a light gold color, the 2013 Chenin Blanc Santa Ynez Valley is a beautiful, mineral-driven white that offers notions of white grapefruit, citrus blossom and saltiness on the nose. Possessing beautiful acidity and a focused, bright and crisp feel...
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 largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.