2020 Desire Lines Experimental Series #9 - Cat Canyon Chenin Blanc

Being our first foray into white wine from Santa Barbara County, this was both a challenging and exciting wine to make. The juice pressed out beautifully fresh and crisp, and after a short cold settle in tank was put down to barrel for fermentation (a combination of second- and third-fill Stockinger 228L barrels, neutral 300L puncheons, and neutral 320L cigare-shaped puncheons). Ultimately, we ended up bottling just three of eight barrels, and the resulting wine is absolutely fascinating – you can practically smell the brackish, salty sea breeze blowing in off the coast, landing gently on juicy green apples and salted lemon rinds. My favorite Chenin Blancs are those made from the hill of Breze by the likes of Thierry Germain, Romain Guiberteau, and Brendan Stater-West, and this wine certainly speaks with the same vocabulary.
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