St. Helena, CA – Celebrated winery Lang & Reed Napa Valley has released the 2019 Chenin Blanc Mendocino (SRP $30.00) this November, adding a new vintage to their line-up of elegant wines, including their recently unveiled Cabernet Franc Monograph Collection.

Their Chenin Blanc vinification is a collaborative effort between Winemaker John Skupny and his son, Reed, who has had his hand in making white wine on three continents – Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand, Chardonnay in Napa Valley and Chenin Blanc in Chinon, France. For this wine, the grapes were whole cluster pressed, left to settle for a day, and then transferred into 14 barrels, four of which were stainless steel and ten were French oak. Half of the barrels were left to ferment with the indigenous yeast, while the remaining half was inoculated with select organic yeast strains. The final assemblage proved greater than any of the individual barrels. This wine initially displays aromatic notes of linden blossom, white peach, and wildflower honey.  Energetic fruit that mirrors the peach aromas unfolds on the palate with rounding flavors of white melon. The wine exhibits quiet confidence throughout, with a smooth texture, long-lasting flavors and a hint of minerality in the finish and possessing enough depth to gain complexity and nuance with a few years of cellaring. 

The 2019 Chenin Blanc is the sixth vintage from the Norgard Vineyard located in Mendocino County in Northern California, made with grapes sourced specifically for this bottling from a region in Mendocino referred to as the Talmage Bench. The vineyard, located on the east side of the Russian River in an area that has excelled in growing Chenin Blanc for many years, was planted in 1978 on a gentle, north-facing slope with great drainage and allowing for even ripening without too much heat accumulation.  Case production is always small for this in demand variety; 361 cases were bottled for the 2019 vintage.   

In 2008, Reed and Megan Skupny of the Lang & Reed team embarked on an adventure to explore the great wines of the Loire Valley. At home in Chinon, their quest led them to Vouvray where the complex, true to type flavor of Chenin Blanc was indelibly etched on their palate. The seeds of inspiration were planted: Lang & Reed Chenin Blanc. Fast forward to today when Chenin Blanc wines are sought after, yet hard to find. Never could they have imagined that they would be on the wave of a veritable California renaissance of this noble grape.

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