Honey and melon dominated the beautiful nose, with just a hint of grass. Slightly sweet with nice sugar/acid balance. It carries its heat well (13.8% ABV). Medium lenght finish. This wine makes me wonder why chenin blanc is so unpopular.
Man-Ho Chu
Most CA Chenin blancs were very uninteresting wines. It's only been in the past 5-10 years that producers have taken it seriously and figured out where to plant it. Husch produces theirs in the Anderson Valley, which is one of the best sites for it (Lazy Creek and Navarro produce good examples). Clarksburg is also a good site for Chenin (Pine Ridge's Chenin Blanc-Viognier is a reliably nice wine and priced well). Another problem that Chenin blanc has faced is that it's usually most attractive as an off-dry wine and Americans have long since dismissed "sweet" wines as not for serious wine drinkers. That attitude is, hopefully, slowly changing.
Mark Lipton
Mark,
How do CA CBs compare to Loire in terms of acidity? I have come across SA CBs that had been subjected to very forceful malolactic fermetation (actually smelling of yoghurt and other dairy products), so my guess would be that even in a warmer climate the retain their acidity. Is that the case?
Cheers
Nils
Nils, No one is likely to mistake any of those CA Chenins for Huet or Baumard, but they have decent acidity for CA and don't come across as flabby at all. Of course, here I'm speaking only of the top few and there are plenty of awful examples. Those top wines also see no ML according to my palate.
Mark Lipton
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