The rise of American chenin blanc

AMERICAN chenin blanc is back – and better than ever.

Dozens of top California producers, intrigued by the grape’s potential, are now making superb chenin blancs, along with a scattered few producers in Oregon, New York and elsewhere.

Even so, chenin blanc remains a modestly planted grape. Back in 2015, I wrote an article that predicted this return, perhaps jumping the gun by a few years.

Since then, however, the number of producers making chenins has vastly increased, even as the amount of chenin planted in California has risen by only 15 per cent or so since then, going by the Agriculture Department’s California Grape Acreage Report.

It’s perhaps a concession to the downturn in wine consumption that plantings of chenin blanc have not increased more.

Growers, understandably, are hedging their bets. So, while many more producers are making chenin blancs now than 10 years ago, most are making minute amounts.

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Regardless, this is great news for American wine drinkers. Chenin blanc is one of the world’s most versatile grapes, rivalled only by riesling in its ability to make profound wines that range from bone-dry to lusciously sweet. Chenin can make wonderful sparkling wines, too.

More good producers making great wines is only the beginning, I hope, of a larger focus on chenin blanc in the US.

In May, I was able to taste more than two dozen small-production American chenins at Hella Chenin, a joyous festival celebrating the grape that was held in Berkeley, California, featuring many American chenins as well as those from South Africa, which, along with the Loire Valley of France, is a world centre of chenin production.

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I recently went shopping for American chenin blancs in New York and found 10 bottles that I highly recommend.

But the number of American chenin blancs I couldn’t find far exceeds those I recommend. Those include chenins from Littorai and Rhys Vineyards, which stand among the best American producers of pinot noir and chardonnay. They have now turned to chenin as well.

Those wines are scarce and expensive. I also could not find more affordable bottles from Pax, Haarmeyer, Leo Steen, Rococo, Las Jaras, Matt Taylor, Matt Crutchfield, Minus Tide, Lo-Fi, Lang & Reed, Gail and Bow & Arrow. I’ve tasted them all and will vouch for any of their bottles.

Chenin blanc wasn’t always so scarce. In the 1980s, chenin was the most widely planted white wine grape in California, with roughly 14,000 hectares compared with about 1,600 hectares today.

Back then, most of those grapes were used to make cheap semisweet jug wines. Most were pulled out as California’s growers came to concentrate on a mere handful of grapes that accounted for both the state’s finest wines and inexpensive knock-offs of those fine wines.

Today, those making varietal chenin blancs tend to be ambitious producers intent on making excellent wines.

If you’re curious about these wines, look in good wine shops, the sorts of places that don’t focus on mass-produced brand names. Despite the growing interest in the grape, it’s still an insider’s treat and relatively unknown in the larger wine world.

Considering the difficulty I had in tracking them down, don’t be discouraged if you don’t find them immediately. I promise, they will reward patience.

Here are the 10 wines, in order of price.

Dashe Clarksburg Les Enfants Terribles Concrete Cuvee Chenin Blanc 2023, 12.5%, US$26

I’ve always liked the wines from Dashe. They feel modest in the best possible way. That is, they do not impose themselves on you like big, slobbery dogs, but are catlike, brimming with details that reward careful observation. This chenin blanc from Clarksburg in the Sacramento River Delta is quietly enticing with subtly complex floral aromas and flavours.

Lieu Dit Santa Ynez Valley Chenin Blanc 2025, 12.5%, US$30

This is a superb wine, with all the paradoxes that good chenin blanc wines possess. It’s lean yet rich, dry with the impression of honeyed sweetness, floral yet saline – altogether lovely.

Lieu Dit is a small negociant that specialises in Loire grapes grown in the Santa Barbara area.

The Terraces Clarksburg Chenin Blanc 2024, 11.9%, US$31

The Terraces in Napa Valley naturally grows and makes cabernet sauvignon. But it also roams far afield to make more esoteric wines such as falanghina, riesling and this one: chenin blanc from the Clarksburg region. It’s lean yet sun-kissed, full of floral, honeyed flavours that leave a lasting impression on the palate.

Sandlands Amador County Chenin Blanc 2023, 12.4%, US$34

Chenin blanc has been a focus of Sandlands, Tegan Passalacqua’s label, which explores classic California grapes from old vineyards in the northern part of the state.

Passalacqua, who by day is the winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars in Napa Valley, is one of California’s foremost vineyard and wine historians and a sensitive farmer and winemaker. His chenin blancs are always superb, and I particularly like the 2023 Amador County. It’s layered and complex, and will continue to evolve as it ages.

Birichino Santa Ynez Valley Jurassic Park Vineyard Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2024, 13.5%, US$35

After nearly 20 years in business, Birichino, founded by upstart alumni from Bonny Doon, has settled into a sort of middle-aged reliability, making small quantities of excellent wines from Central Coast vineyards at fairly reasonable prices.

This chenin is richer and fuller-bodied than many in this line-up. It’s made from older vines that, unusually, are planted on their own roots rather than grafted onto American rootstock, as is conventional. It’s lush yet dry, and would match nicely with poultry or a richer fish such as halibut.

Ridge Clarksburg Heringer Chenin Blanc 2025, 13.2%, US$36

Ridge Vineyards, which has been making wines for decades from all over California, issued its first varietal chenin blanc in 2024.

The wine, made from Clarksburg grapes, shows Ridge’s characteristic careful approach. It’s fine and detailed, with filigreed floral and honeyed flavours that give the impression of sweetness even though the wine is dry.

Maitre de Chai Clarksburg Wilson Vineyard Sparkling Chenin Blanc NV, 11.5%, US$37

Chenin blanc is the source for wonderful sparkling wines in the Loire Valley. Maitre de Chai, a sort of micro-negociant based in Berkeley, California, does great justice to those wines. This is elegant and refined, with gentle bubbles that flatter its yeasty, floral and honeyed flavours.

Outward Paso Robles Highlands District Shell Creek Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2024, 12.5%, US$37

This partnership of Natalie Siddique and Ryan Pace makes excellent wines from vineyards in and around the San Luis Obispo Coast in California. This lively, expressive wine comes from old vines of chenin blanc planted inland from the town of Paso Robles. It’s both fresh and rich, with an almost gritty texture that makes you want to go back for more.

Aperture Clarksburg Chenin Blanc 2023, 12.2%, US$38

Aperture is based in Healdsburg in the Dry Creek Valley. Its proprietor, Jesse Katz, specialises in cabernet sauvignon but also makes a range of other wines, including this chenin blanc from Clarksburg. It’s bright and floral, with a pronounced citrus streak, well-balanced and textured.

Hope Well Eola-Amity Hills Chenin Blanc 2025, 12%, US$56

Mimi Casteel is one of wine’s foremost proponents of regenerative agriculture. To walk through her vineyard is to feel you are in a thriving, complex ecosystem.

Her Hope Well wines convey that same energy. She has added chenin blanc, a rarity in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, to her line-up of pinot noirs and chardonnays. This fresh young wine is complex and alive, and ought to evolve beautifully with time. NYTIMES