Fun little producer I got excited about several years ago for her 2 Loire offerings, but it looks now as cab-franc has been replaced by a fairly solid grouping of Pinot and Mourvedre. Bright and light in the glass with slight turbidity; dusty, musty citrus on the nose, panged with pond-water, accented by nutty warm fruit and milk chocolate creaminess.
Clean and nice in the mouth… no complaints here. Chenin can be pigeon-holed as a boring grape in new-world applications, and this is a fairly boring version even inside that category–DESPITE my fondness of Clarksburg Chenin. THE BEST CHENIN BLANC IN CALIFORNIA COMES FROM CLARKSBURG. Moderate acidity charms the herbaceousness, and searches for fruit descriptors comes up muddled… pear and apricot about as close as I can get to specific definition. Nice little bitter tannic bite in the finish, wrapping up a chunky, stony middle punctuated with the definite toasty polish of age: that is its strong point. I’m being too hard on this wine–and it probably doesn’t deserve it–to its credit it is not *weird* or grassy or awkward, it’s just not wowwing me with the complexity it has on previous outings. Interestingly, I started drinking it at 65° and now, at 55°, it is feeling tighter, fruitier and more balanced. That’s typically the OPPOSITE for me with white wines, so you make the call. These are fun wines–there’s no doubt–this one just feels a little muted.
2016 MARGINS Chenin Blanc Wilson Vyd Clarksburg California 11.9
Stephen McConnell 