The 2006 Chenin blanc will soon have so many medals and awards (including a best white wine at the Houston rodeo, a double gold at the Tri Cities festival and a top 100 “best of the West†by the San Francisco Chronicle) that you won’t see the label anymore. Why is this wine receiving so many awards? I am convinced there is something to do with the old vines we are harvesting our Chenin from. Most of the Chenin in Eastern Washington were planted in the late 60’s to the early 80’s. No Chenin has been planted since then. The vineyards are mainly located in the Yakima Valley where the viticulture first started in Eastern Washington. The acreage is scattered because often Chenin was planted by growers wanting to diversify their crop and it was never intended as a large commercial planting at the time. The acreage survived to time and the lack of commercial interest sometimes by sentimental attachment as Chenin vineyards were often the first blocks of vinifera that the family planted. It surely did not survive because of the popularity of the varietal which is a pity. Chenin is a very noble varietal and probably one of the most complex and interesting in the world with Riesling. Our Chenin is quite dry (about 1.2% RS) and fermented very anaerobically. We keep the wine in stainless steel at all time with little contact with the lees, no oak and of course no malolactic fermentation. We are looking for a fresh style with just enough sugar to coat the varietal grapefruit rind finish that Chenin often displays. The 2006 was spot on in my mind with flavors of citrus and fresh cut grass.
