2012 Chalone Vineyard, Chenin Blanc, Estate Grown Heritage Vines, Chalone, Monterey County.
Like the 2014 I reviewed not too long ago the 2012 Chalone Old Vine Chenin is a gorgeous bottle and drinking wonderfully right now, showing of classic stony/chalky notes with lemon, peach, earthy melon and honey leading the way on the medium bodied, but beautifully textural palate. As I’ve mentioned before, the 1970’s Chalone wines, were the ones that really put Monterey on the wine world map, this place oozes history and it has a real sense of terroir. This Chalone Chenin was crafted from old vines, originally planted back in 1919, on ancient seabed soils by then Chalone winemaker Robert Cook, it’s again masterpiece of elegance and vivid detail, in his era (Mid 2000s) drier Loire Valley inspired style. The unique limestone, granite and clay soils, cool nights, elevation in the Gavilan Mountain range, right near the Pinnacles National Monument and shear remoteness really show up in the details. Somewhat shy at first these Chalone Chenin’s come alive with air, it takes a bit of time to flesh out on the palate, but the are serious stuff with preserved citrus, wet river stones, a hint of rosewater, tart quince and touches of herb, truffle and bees wax all coming through.
Chalone Estate, most known for Pinot Nor and Chardonnay, is in the middle of a serious re-birth and I am excited for the newest collection of wines, but the early years in the 1970s were blessed with some classic Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Chenin. There’s been a few owners here, especially after the death of Richard Graff, who along with Phil Woodward, made this label one of California’s best, rivaling the likes of contemporaries like Mount Eden, Hanzell and Joseph Swan to name a few. That said, Cook, somewhat under the radar made some excellent stuff here at Chalone and wines like this cement his own legacy here. Chalone’s Chenin Blanc, as noted above, comes from a plot originally planted in 1919, just after WW1, it is old school head trained and are small yielding vines, which adds dimension and intensity here. Cook typically fermented the 100% whole cluster pressed Chenin Blanc in 60% neutral French barrels and 40% in stainless tank, then aged them about 6 months in cask before bottling, all to capture depth, but allow the natural mineral tones and acidity to shine through, as seen here. At twelve, the 2012 Chalone Chenin Blanc still has a few good years left, though there’s no real reason to wait at this point and it would be lovely with a selection of creamy soft farm chèvre cheeses and or roast poultry dishes.
($28 to $38 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive