WTN: Chalone CheninBlanc '07...(short/boring)

Had last night w/ dinner:
1. ChaloneVnyd CheninBlanc (EG/Chalone AVA; 14.4%; 9 Fr.oak brls; #418 of 2735 btld; Planted in 1919; Drk: 2012-2017: DC) 2007: Med.yellow color; lovely very fragrant/perfumed melony/CB/floral/pear light chalky/mineral slight flinty/Loire-like light spicy/nutmeg lovely complex nose; fairly tart bright/spicy/melony/CB/pear/apple/floral/carnations totally dry light chalky/mineral spicy/nutmeg flavor; very long lovely bright/melony/CB/pear light spicy/nutmeg/floral some chalky/mineral finish; an absolutely beautiful rendition of CB in Calif; not as austere/flinty/mineral as Loire CB. $20.00 (CB)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. DarrellCorti liked this wine so much that he bought all they had left. I had this about 8 months ago when Darrell first offered the wine and liked it quite a lot then. We recently reordered almost 2 cs worth and this just arrived on Sat. Wanting a white, this is the first thing I spied, so cracked that sucker open. It was even better than I recall from back then.
Most Calif CheninBlancs I find on the tutti-frutti side, a bit too sweet, lacking in acid, and rather simple. And, truth be told, find some/many from the Loire of that same ilk. It's rare that I find a Calif CB that I really like and has enough interest to engage my mind when I'm drinking. This Chalone is definitely not that....one of the best Calif CB's I can recall in yrs.
Darrell asserts that some white wines will age better than many red wines....an assertion to whiich I would heartily concur. He suggests this Chalone might go out another 5 yrs at least, maybe longer. Darrell is usually dead right and I see no reason to doubt his prediction.
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2. How the mighty have fallen: When I first got interested in Calif wines, back in the early '70's, Chalone was one of Calif's legendary icons. Winemaking was under DickGraff (later Peter Watson-Graff) and the estate was guided by PhilWoodward. I recall that PhilipTogni was one of the first winemakers. MichaelMichaud was also in there somewhere.
The white were all barrel-frmtd and barrel-aged in mostly new Fr.oak. They carried a ton of new oak, including the CheninBlanc. A very bizarre style for CheninBlanc. But they always had an intensity of fruit to support the oak and they often aged into remarkable old wines. It was an old-timey Calif style that is roundly rejected by current hip somms and many of today's wine writers who endorse the ABC movement. Too bad.
When Chalone was sold to Diageo...that was pretty much the end of a once great Estate. I've tried the Chalones, including the EstateGrown bottlings and find them uniformly unthrilling. Pleasant enough...but just that. It's like seeing your beautiful hot-chick high school Homecoming queen out working the streets on StrongAvenue at 50+ yrs of age. This '07 CheninBlanc is probably the last glimpse of Chalone's once-great glory that we'll ever see.
Tom

Nice insights there. CB has some fans in my household, especially the Lammerschok from Swartland. Those from Calf hard to find in these parts. I did post a while back on a CB from Field Recordings.

WTN: 2008 Field Recordings Wine Chenin Blanc Jurassic Park Vineyard, Central Coast Santa Inez Valley.

Unfiltered, unfined. 13.9% alc, SC, 285 case production. I will post website so folks can get some additional background on this enterprising winery.

Light pale yellow color, no cloudiness. The nose featured apricot, nuts, lemon zest and floral tones. I certainly did not expect such a dry wine however, sharp acidity a big influence here I guess? The aromas followed through on the palate, plus some unripe pineapple and tart apple. "Not for everyone" from across the table. Hard to pair with food but went for pork tenderloin marinaded in light teriyaki. Not sure I would try this style again, purchased from Metrovino in Calgary.

http://fieldrecordingswine.com/

Hi Tom -

Thank you for the note. Interesting to read that this was an effort worthy of the "old" Chalone - which I am afraid that I will never experience. I actually had the 2007 Chalone Chardonnay some time ago and was not especially impressed - it was good, but I could only imagine that the wines were much more memorable and individual 25-30 years ago.

Nowadays, it is pretty difficult to find a domestic Chenin Blanc that I have any interest in trying. I can understand why this grape fell out of favor in California, but it is still too bad that it's about as popular as Colombard these days.