2023 Chalone Vineyard, Chenin Blanc, Estate Grown Heritage Vines, Chalone, Monterey County.
As a long time Chalone admirer, it is great to see the label rebound and be taken seriously after a few years in the wilderness and I really liked their latest old vine Chenin, from mainly vines originally planted back in 1919. This unique California version, now under the care of winemaker Greg Freeman, sees a bit different treatment, with 100% stainless steel fermentation and ultra short tank aging, making for a pure, bone dry and electric style wine. The palate is ripe and forward, with lovely concentration and loads of crisp acidity, it shows of honeyed peach, quince, apple and lemony citrus, along with subtle herbs, white blossoms, chalky stones and a hint of verbena. The estate picks were fairly quick but there was some variation of Brix and that gives this bit of sweet and sour accent and it should be structured enough to age, it will be interesting to see how this Loire inspired Chenin Blanc develops, especially since I recently really enjoyed the 2012 and 2014 versions. Chenin Blanc is seeing a wave of enthusiasm in California and there’s a lot of good stuff available wide array of top notch producers from Santa Barbara to Mendocino.
The historic Chalone Estate, as I’ve noted in prior reviews, is mostly known for some classic Pinot Nor and Chardonnay wines, 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. In the past the Chenin had been done in a combination of barrel and tank and then blended, and it some years it was almost off dry, which helped some vintages age, but now done super dry and stainless only it seems less patience will be required. Chalone, as a terroir is chalky with veins of limestone and rolling hills that get cool breezes from the Ocean, but is significantly warmer than in the past, so certain varietals are finding it difficult to be as elegant and focused as they once were, but so far the Chenin is still doing all the right things. It’s plain to see that Pinot Noir and even Syrah are suffering when you get a hot year here, but thankfully 2023 and 2024 were cool vintages and there’s a lot of excitement.
($30 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive