This wine is light on its feet with grassy and tropical notes. There is quince, yellow apple, and Anjou pear that compliments the acidity perfectly. The palate is signature Chenin with melon, delicate flowers and a tinge of green peppercorn on the finish. Like a superbloom in a glass.
This wine was whole cluster pressed and aged in clay amphora for 10 months. Unfined, vegan.
190 cases produced.
2022 Shypoke Chenin Blanc
$30.00
“The Chenin Blanc is from Ballentine Vineyard. Bruce Devlin, the winemaker there, is an awesome friend. I’ve been begging him for years if there ever was an opportunity to get a little bit of Chenin Blanc I would take it. We used to grow Chenin on our ranch. In fact, I was learning how to drive when I was like 12 or 13 on the ranch, I was backing on my grandmother’s Ranchero over a Chenin vine. The vine was old and brittle and it broke off. I wasn’t allowed to drive for like two years.
We don’t grow any white grapes anymore. Economically, it doesn’t really make sense. Although we do plenty of things that don’t make economic sense. It’s also a little bit warm, it’s not the ideal spot for growing white grapes I think. You want to farm with balance with what nature has given you. Fighting against that is a sure way to be frustrated for decades to come. So both economically and diplomatically, it didn’t really make sense to replant Chenin Blanc. My grandmother had a Dickens of a time selling Chenin Blanc back in the day. There were 4000 acres of Chenin in Napa Valley at one point and now I think there’s six. Chappellet has an acre and Valentine has five and that’s it.”