As long-time fans of wines made from the Chenin Blanc grape—especially those from the Loire Valley in France—we have long searched for local Chenin Blanc grapes to make a crisp, dry wine from this classic varietal. We discovered a great vineyard in Clarksburg California, with climate and soil conditions that allowed us to make a delicious, ripe wine with an alcohol level of only 12.1%. This unique area is in the Sacramento River delta, where cool breezes from the San Francisco Bay cool the grapes, creating hot afternoons and cool evenings that make for ideal conditions to grow Chenin Blanc. We use a 500-gallon egg-shaped concrete fermentation vessel to highlight the minerality of the grapes, and the results have exceeded our expectations.

In 2019, steady, warm vintage conditions brought us perfect conditions to ripen the grapes, and we were able to pick on two different dates. We specifically wanted to pick some at a higher acidity, and some at a riper state, so that we could get a wine with both acid structure and full flavors. We picked both lots at night to keep the grapes as cold as possible and pressed them immediately to our egg-shaped concrete fermenter on arrival at the winery. We fermented the grapes on the native yeasts found on the grape skins at between 55 and 70 degrees. The wine fermented to dryness easily, and we bottled the wine in February.

Chenin Blanc is certainly one of our favorite wines for pairing with food, as well as on its own as an aperitif. The color is pale gold. Aromas of Asian pear and apple overtones, with hints of citrus blossom, honeycomb, minerals, and sweet spices. Crisp on the palate, bright apple fruit, hints of grapefruit, beautiful crisp acidity that balances the fruit, luscious texture, long, lively spicy finish.