Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc & Viognier (USA)

Crisp, bright, and vivacious! The Chenin aromatics bring citrus characters of lime, orange blossom, honey suckle, ginger, and melon. The viognier aromatics tend to be a little heavier on stone fruit of nectarine and peach with hints of floral characters. The mouthfeel is clean, crisp with no oak or malolactic fermentation. The slight residual sugar and acid are in balance to add some mouthfeel but still create a crisp finish.

Grapes for the Chenin Blanc are sourced from the Clarksburg appellation, referred to as the “Gem of the Delta.” It is an appellation that is showing a great affinity for Chenin Blanc. The climate has a moderately long growing season and benefits from the maritime influence of the Sacramento River. The Viognier is sourced from Lodi, which has a classic Mediterranean climate, with warm days and cool nights. Natural air-conditioning is provided by the San Joaquin/Sacramento River Delta breezes and produces grapes with natural acidity. Rhône varieties like Viognier adapt well to this exciting appellation.

After the grapes were crushed, the press wine was blended with the free run juice to increase palate weight. The juice was inoculated with two special yeast strains to maintain the fruity characters and then was fermented cold. To retain and highlight the fruit freshness of CB+V, the wine was fermented and aged in 100 percent stainless steel.