Tag Archives: Chenin Blanc

Wine Review: Vinum Cellars Chenin Blanc Clarksburg 2014

26 Friday May 2017

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vinum cheninVinum has a long track record producing wine from this grape that deserves far more attention than it receives in the U.S.  2014 is their 17h vintage from these grapes grown in the Sacramento River Delta. It’s hot there but cool, nighttime breezes from San Francisco Bay keep fresh acidity in the grapes.

The aromas of crushed rock, pear, lemon and lavender are pretty but this wine’s charm is really in the caressing mouth feel that manages to be both light, crisp and viscous, exuding minerality but with slight honeyed notes that lend a touch of sweetness. Orange zest blooms on the midpalate but the emphasis is on the floral and mineral spectrum. It finishes long and cool, with a spine like pure spring water.

Relatively small production of 2500 cases.

Score: 88

Price: $16

Alc: 13.5%

The sweet, languid,  but crisply pulsating sound of Bebel Gilberto captures the mood.

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Budget Wine Review: Blue Plate Chenin Blanc Clarksburg CA 2012

05 Friday May 2017

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blue plateA crisp, bone dry version of this versatile grape from the Clarksburg AVA near Sacramento. I guess it’s called “blue plate” because it’s a utilitarian wine—solid and inexpensive.

Melon and subtle honey notes rest on a background of faint apricot, all gently cloaked in a funky wet hay aroma.On the palate it’s peach upfront with a lanolin infused midpalate. The slight viscosity gives it a pleasing softness set off by dominant stony, minerality that rushes quickly into a seriously tart, slightly bitter finish with good length.

Domestic, dry Chenin Blanc is worth buying. It’s not insipid like too many Pinot Grigio’s, not as in-you-face as Sauvignon Blanc, and more lively than budget Chardonnay.

Playful and bouncy, signaling summer, a cruel, cruel Summer

Score: 87

Price: $9

Alc: 12%

Budget Wine Review: Vignobles Lacheteau Vouvray 2015

21 Friday Apr 2017

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vignoble lacheteauChenin Blanc is too often overlooked having gained a reputation as the base for cheap table wine in the U.S. But in France’s Loire Vouvray where it is the dominant, permitted white varietal it  can be scintillating. This one by the négociant house Lacheteau is as good as it gets for under $10. Buy a case. It’s a good candidate for ageing.

A pear and pineapple explosion lightly traced with wet stone, jasmine and hints of petrol on the nose. In the mouth, it’s delicately sweet up front, but finishes dry with a long, mineral conclusion laced with subtle, bitter,  grapefruit pith. Medium body with a pertly fleshy mid palate, incisive acidity gives this wine plenty of verve and intensity.

Off-dry but refreshing. Outstanding for the price.

Score: 89

Price: $7 at Trader Joe’s

Alc: 11.5%

It evokes the sweetness and intense longing of Madonna’s La Isla Bonita

Budget Wine: Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc Steen Op Hout 2015

16 Friday Dec 2016

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mulderboschA shy nose if you’re looking for fruit. There is passion fruit and some apple but the intensity comes from matchstick and grass aromas.

The richly textured mouthfeel opens round and hints at fullness before the acidity kicks in lightening the overall impression and giving it angularity and cut. There is a sweet and sour thing going on with tip of the tongue picking up a little sweetness while the back palate sings with acidity introducing a long, puckering finish.

The winery reports 10% oak, which is barely detectable as a background aroma. and 6 months on the lees enhancing the mouthfeel.

Chenin Blanc (sometimes called Steen in South Africa where it is the most widely planted variety) is an underappreciated grape that come be made in either a sweet or dry style. This one is dry and refreshing, a wonderful compliment to simple fish over roasted fennel. It has long been cultivated for the bulk wine market in South Africa but it deserves more attention as a substitute for Pinot Grigio or unoaked Chardonnay.

Energetic, brassy and tight, as in Tower of Power asking the eternal question What is Hip? with Santana? That’s hip:

Score: 87

Price: $13

Alc: 14%

Budget Wine: Domaine de Vaufuget Vouvray 2014

07 Friday Oct 2016

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domaine de vaufugetVouvray, a region in the France’s Loire Valley, is famous for its Chenin Blanc. But you seldom see it for $12. This is an exceptional value.

The nose is restrained but lovely with focused honey and floral notes, likely from subtle botrytis influence. The medium dry palate shows more honey with a hint of viscosity, yet fresh with integrated minerality, gentle acidity, and a  crisp dry finish of medium length that terminates in delicate chalk textures.

Quiet, graceful sophistication that pairs well with the shy but sweet, crisp vocals of Tina Dico performing with Zero 7.

Score: 89

Price: $12

Alc: 12%

Family Winemakers are Taking Risks and Making Some Great Wine

11 Sunday Mar 2012

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Family Winemakers, the trade association for small wine producers in California, held their annual tasting in San Diego on Sunday—200 wineries, over 1000 wines, and about 2 hours to taste before the crowds get overwhelming.

So many wines, so little time.

No. I didn’t taste them all. At big wine events like this I tend to ignore most of the common varietals and seek out wineries that are doing something innovative, making wines that are unusual or not typical for California.

This event highlights the innovation and risk-taking going on in California among small producers. Some of these wineries are little more than a garage, proving that you don’t need a multi-million dollar estate to make great wine—just skill, good taste, guts, and enough coin to get your operation off the ground.

Here are my standouts from Sunday’s event.

Whites:

Tablas Creek 2010 Cote de Tablas Blanc   A blend dominated by aromatic Viognier with Grenache Blanc, Rousanne and Marsenne to provide structure. White Rhone blends are no longer so unusual in California, and Tablas Creek is an established producer, but this one was so good I couldn’t resist including it.

Field Recordings 2010 Chenin Blanc  Intense aroma and creamy, fleshy mouthfeel. The best I have had outside of Vouvray. Most chenin blanc grown in California is sold as bulk wine. This one is extraordinary.

Clavo Cellers 2009 Vermentino  An Italian grape especially well known in Sardinia but seldom grown in the U.S. This wine shows tropical fruit and an exceptionally rich, creamy mouthfeel.

Reds:

Urban Legend Cellars 2009 Amador Barbera   One of the most underappreciated trends in the wine world is the extraordinary Barberas coming out of the Sierra Foothills. This one is rich and spicy,a nose full of cloves and a wonderfully elegant mouthfeel.

Urban Legend Cellars 2009 Teroldego  They did it again for me. This is a small winery located in downtown Oakland with a great eye for small lots of local grapes with which to create their magic. Teroldego is a Northern Italian grape probably genetically related to Syrah. It is dark, dark, dark, figs and lots of spice. A bit like Zinfandel but with a blacker heart and more acidity.

Harrington Cellars 2008 Nebbiolo  This may have been my favorite wine of the event. Beautiful violets and some earth on the nose and a spicy but elegant mouthfeel, almost soft until the tannins remind you this is a Nebbiolo. This grape is seldom successfully grown outside Piemonte, Italy. Harrington’s is an excellent expression of this grape and proof that it can be grown here.