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2010 Napa Valley Chenin Blanc
May 10, 2011 by David
Filed under Chenin Blanc, Winemaker Notes
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The Chenin Blanc grape is extremely versatile and can be used in making everything from a soft, fruity wine, to dessert, or even sparkling wine. The honeyed fruit and floral character inspired our Winemaker, Geoff Gorsuch, to add it to our portfolio as the perfect picnic wine.
Flavor profile: Fresh, fruity, floral and slightly sweet with honeyed pear, grapefruit, ginger spice and lively green apple.
2010 Vintage: A roller-coaster of a growing season requiring great patience, but yielding low quantities of outstanding fruit quality.
Drink now and through: 2013
Food Suggestions
Enjoy our Chenin Blanc with sweet proteins like shellfish, duck or pork. From Colleen’s recipe collection we recommend Asian-Inspired Tilapia with Spinach.
2009 Napa Valley Chenin Blanc
April 18, 2011 by David
Filed under Chenin Blanc, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The old vines in the eastern hills of Napa Valley produced low yields of small grapes so packed with honeyed fruit and floral character that Geoff allowed the fermentation to go dry for this exceptional vintage.
Flavor profile: Fresh and fruity with juicy pear, honeyed melon, green apple and honeysuckle with a lively citrus finish. Drink now and through: 2012
2009 Vintage: Textbook conditions until a mid-October storm. The most common themes: Good flavor maturity at low sugars.
Food Suggestions
The fresh, lively flavors are perfect with lighter fare – sea food, salads, poultry or pork. It’s a refreshing contrast to the heat of spicy Thai and Indian cuisine. For delicious pairings, such as Pork Medallions with Grapefruit-Ginger Chutney, go to Colleen’s recipe database at goosecross.com
Buy this wine in our online store
Goosecross: First Day of Crush, 2010
We’ve had a busy day! In this 2-minute video you see Napa Valley old-vine Chenin Blanc being crushed and pressed. How sweet it is!
Chenin Blanc and Pork Medallions with Grapefruit-Ginger Chutney
April 1, 2010 by David
Filed under Blog, Wine & Recipe of The Month
We’d like to welcome spring with something just a little sweet. That’s our Chenin Blanc – fresh and light with just a touch of sweetness to accentuate the honeyed pear, bright citrus and pineapple character. The Chenin Blanc is wonderfully refreshing on its own, but Colleen came up with this quick and delicious recipe that features zesty citrus fruit and just enough heat and spice to make it interesting. The fruitiness of the Chenin Blanc is not only a perfect partner for the pork medallions – it can carry you through the whole evening. It’s a refreshing starter to welcome your guests, and can see you right through dessert. Try it with Colleen’s recipe for Lemon Meringue Tarlets. Happy spring!
Ingredients
2 white grapefruits, seeded & demembraned
1 cup fresh grapefruit juice
3 tablespoons wildflower honey
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 small red chile pepper, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 medium orange
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
One 1-1/2 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-1/2 inch medallions
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine the grapefruit sections, grapefruit juice, honey, sugar and red chile and simmer over moderate heat until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove the chutney from the heat and stir in the minced ginger, lemon juice, orange zest, mustard seeds, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until shimmering. Season the pork medallions with salt and pepper. Add them to the skillet and cook over high heat, 5 minutes per side, until evenly browned. Transfer the pork to individual plates and spoon the grapefruit-ginger chutney on top.
Discover more great recipes in Colleen’s Kitchen
Purchase the 2008 Goosecross Chenin Blanc in our online store.
Chenin Blanc, a Noble Varietal
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fun Fact by Nancy Hawks Miller, Goosecross: Chenin Blanc, a Nobile Varietal
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Goosecross Cellars.
Goosecross: Not All Pumpkins are Created Equal
Getting ready for Thanksgiving? Give a listen to this two-minute Fun Fact on the best pumpkins for baking!
Speaking of Thanksgiving, Colleen has a great Thanksgiving menu for you on our homepage! Of course it includes pumpkin pie, which is absolutely delicious with a glass of our Chenin Blanc. So much to be grateful for! Happy Thanksgiving!
What wine do I serve on T-day?
2008 Napa Valley Chenin Blanc
September 8, 2009 by David
Filed under Chenin Blanc, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Beautiful aromatics and soft, sweet flavors from old vines in the Napa hills – fresh pear, honeysuckle and a mouthwatering touch of citrus. Pairings: Duck, pork, shellfish, mild cheeses, slightly sweet fruit desserts.
Chenin Blanc
Common synonyms: Chenin, Pineau de la Loire, Pineau d’Anjou, Steen
Believe it or not, there was a time when Chenin Blanc was the most popular white wine in Napa Valley before it was eclipsed by Chardonnay and fell into relative obscurity. In its home in the Loire Valley of France, where it’s often called Pineau de la Loire, it’s a variety that’s cherished for its delicate aromas of honeyed fruit, flowers and hay and also for its remarkable versatility. In that part of the world it makes many styles: delicate dry white wine, slightly sweet wine, sparkling wine and even exquisite late-harvest wines.
This is not to say that it isn’t grown much outside of France anymore but, in most regions, it’s relegated to the role of a work-horse blending grape. In California, it’s grown mainly in the San Joaquin Valley and blended with other white varieties to make every-day white wine. The vine itself is vigorous and capable of producing large yields, so it lends itself to that role. But, as the yields goes up, the flavors are increasingly diluted and the varietal character is lost. It’s prone to high-acid, which is a blessing in our warm climate and can be a curse some years in the cooler Loire Valley.
You can find a few brands of Napa Valley Chenin Blanc, if you hunt for them and, even though they’re not plentiful, these few are made by winemakers who understand what Chenin Blanc can be. They’re typically very flavorful and usually dry. Some are barrel aged, or even barrel-fermented, Chardonnay style. Our winemaker at Goosecross finds that a touch of sweetness accentuates the honeyed character, so our slightly-sweet wine is an exception.
South Africa has come on strong with Chenin Blanc and is now the world’s largest Chenin Blanc grower by far, dedicating about 17% of its wine-grape acreage to the variety that was known there as Steen. There are both excellent and disappointing examples. It’s grown all over the US and in other parts of the world but, through no fault of its own, most of the wines aren’t interesting.
Because of its many faces, pairing Chenin Blanc with food depends upon the style. Its high acidity predisposes it to be food friendly. The Chardonnay-like styles pair well with seafood and other light fare. Fruity examples will be delicious with sweet proteins like duck and pork. You can seal the match by using some fruit, honey or some of the wine in your preparation. The slightly sweet examples are a great counterpoint to hot and spicy Asian and Indian cuisine and are good companions for almost any cheese. You can find delicious recipes to pair with our Chenin Blanc in Colleen’s Kitchen.
Flavor profile: floral, honey, hay, melon
Weight: Light (except late harvest)
2007 Napa Valley Chenin Blanc
August 27, 2008 by David
Filed under Chenin Blanc, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fresh and fragrant in style, a touch of sweetness enhances the ripe pear, honeysuckle, crisp grapefruit, melon and spice. Pairings: Duck or pork, medium-soft cheeses, slightly sweet fruit desserts.
Chenin Blanc
June 25, 2007 by David
Filed under Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Honeyed fruit and flowers, with a hint of hay, Chenin Blanc leads a double life. Is it a bland work-horse blender? Is it a fragrant and ethereal treat? Through no fault of its own, there really is very little predictability for this wonderful variety.
In its home in the Loire Valley of France, where it’s often called Pineau del la Loire, it’s a variety that’s cherished for those delicate aromatics and flavors and also for its remarkable versatility. It makes everything from a delicate dry white, to slightly sweet, to sparkling wine and even exquisite late-harvest wines.
Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education, covers Chenin Blanc in her continuing series on the major wine grape varieties.
