Nose

On the nose, aromas of honeydew melon and orange blossom.

Palate

flavors of fresh honeycomb, stone fruit and hint of citrus. The finish has a delicate roundness from the sur-lie aging yet maintains a freshness that makes it a fantastic food wine.

Growing Conditions

The 2021 growing season was very typical through early spring, except for below-average rainfall. Early summer through harvest gave us some unexpected heatwaves but plenty of mild weather in-between resulted in a slight delay of harvest while we waited for acidity, pH and brix to balance.

Winemaking

After harvesting, grapes for the Austin Hope Chenin Blanc were whole-cluster pressed into stainless steel tanks for settling. The juice was then racked off its heavy lees into barrels and tanks for fermentation.

Aging

65% of the juice was barrel fermented in a mix of new and neutral barrels, while the other 25% was fermented in stainless steel. The barrel fermented portion saw 3-5 months of sur-lie aging and during that time, the barrels were stirred monthly to add to the creamy nature of the wine. After the final blend was assembled, the wine was gently crossflow filtered before bottling.

Appearance

Quickly becoming a favorite, our Chenin Blanc displays a light golden color.

Food Pairing

Grilled Pineapple with Arugula Salsa