Would love to hear your thoughts. Especially interested to hear if folks think US Chenin has the range–sparkling, sweet, off-dry, dry–of its Loire forebears.
Sandlands and Chalone old vine.
I have to go with Sandlands also.
super impressed with Pax, and a very good deal too.
Rucksack, bone dry.
Paumanok on Long Island. Dry and consistently excellent. Believe they now do a few different bottlings tho I’m not sure how they differ.
+1 for Charles and Ursula’s Chenin Blanc from Paumanok. I believe its the only chenin blanc from east end and its my favorite wine made on east end. Problem is its not priced like other chenin blancs (0-30 range if I recall)
Haven’t had many domestic Chenin Blancs but the old vine Chenin from l’Ecole is amazing
Littorai makes a great one but it is very small production and overpriced at retail (not sure what it sells for from the winery).
I unfortunately don’t have much to offer here, but this will be a fun discovery thread
Leo Steen Jurassic Vineyard is a favorite. Just had a bottle of the 2014 last night at The Brass Rabbit in Healdsburg and it was delicious. Leo also makes two lower priced Chenin Blancs from the Saini Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley and the Peaberry from Mendocino. The Peaberry is a fun Chenin, lots of energy and shows a savory edge.
Tom
I’ve enjoyed a couple from Division Winemaking. Portland OR made from ‘old’ vine Washington state Chenin Blanc.
+1
There are a number of folks who make Chenin from the Jurassic Vineyard in Los Olivos - part of the old Firestone Vineyard for those who know the area. I know Field Recordings has been working with the fruit for quite some time as have others. Might be worth seeking out others working with it to compare/contrast.
Cheers!
I have been really liking most of what I have had from Haarmeyer.
Another vote for Sandlands, and the Amador bottling in particular (2013 is easily the best domestic chenin ive eve had).
I REALLY need to get me some Leo Steen chenin to try.
Another +1. The Leo Steen Chenins are excellent across the board. I mean, when you name your winery after a grape, you must care about it.
The Division Chenin is sourced from Willard Farms in the Yakima Valley, planted in 1980, which makes it pretty old by Washington standards. I’ll be releasing a Chenin Blanc pet-nat this spring from the same site that I am pretty excited about. In the 90’s there were over 600 acres of Chenin in Washington, but today there are only around 60. Virtually all of these are “old vines” in the Yakima Valley, planted in the late 70’s/early 80’s, and we can thank L’Ecole’s Chenin program for preserving most of them. Erica Orr (Orr Wines) is another Washington winemaker who has been featuring Chenin Blanc and doing a great job with it.
I keep trying, but still have not had a domestic Chenin Blanc that made me think it was actually worth buying. That includes trying most of the wines mentioned in this thread. Even the ones from wineries I otherwise really like have left me cold.
Wondering if this is because you feel that aren’t ‘as good’ as ones you’ve had from outside the US or just that they have not been distinctive enough?
I do always wonder this with varieties that do well elsewhere and are not mainstream here.
Cheers.