***BOTTLING EARLY OCTOBER, SHIPPING SHORTLY AFTER***
Our hot streak of incredible finds continues with something you don’t hear often: Napa Valley Chenin Blanc.It wasn’t always this way. Beginning in the 1960s, Charles Krug Winery pioneered the grape to massive success across the country, peaking in the '80s as one of Napa’s flagship white varieties. Then, as Cabernet became the valley’s economic engine and Chardonnay America’s most popular white wine, Chenin acreage dwindled. Today, there are only about 20 bearing acres left in Napa – a tiny drop in the bucket vs its heyday. But the plantings that remain are some of the finest expressions of the grape you’ll find outside the Loire.
Crafting a Chenin of quality doesn’t happen easily; it buds early, yet ripens late. But with the right caretakers the wine can be exquisite, and that’s what we have here. Our source’s vines are planted to prime land that most producers would reserve for high-priced Cabernet, and the results speak for themselves – plenty of critics consider it the valley’s best bottling. For the first domestic Chenin in this program’s history, why settle for anything less?
Lot 629 is a gem from one of the last Chenin Blanc blocks in Napa Valley. A stunningly balanced 100% Chenin Blanc from a pioneer of this rare varietal, it shows a caliber of winemaking that’s befitting of the iconic name on its original label. Crafted from grapes possessing a supreme balance of acidity and concentration, precision vinification is followed by a top-class French oak regimen – again, many consider this the finest example you can find in Napa. A couple of months back, we worked out a mutually beneficial deal to secure what we think is one of the best white wines in the valley for well over 70% OFF. One taste and you’ll see why Jancis Robinson described Chenin as the world’s most versatile grape.
Our price: $119/6-pack, $19+/bottle!
Our source’s vines are surrounded by Bordelaise varietals destined for some of the most celebrated red wines in Napa Valley. Turns out, Chenin Blanc also loves rocky soil, hot days, and cool nights. A complex and intriguing white produced in the hands of masters, this is an uncommonly delightful and refreshing lens through which you can experience world-class Napa Valley terroir.
An elegant nose opens with delineated Asian pear and golden apple before unfolding into notes of honey, pineapple, white blossoms, vanilla, and spice. The palate is richly textured yet uplifted, where tropical notes dance with citrus and tarragon before being joined by a thread of allspice, framed by incredible acidity and balance. The finish is both mineral and expressive, revealing wet stone, tropical fruit, chamomile, and barrel spice before a second wave of fresh-sliced vanilla bean rises and rises before finally cresting at the finale. Enthralling.
