WTN: 2002 Chappellet Napa Dry Chenin Blanc

[geo t.]

Week before last, I had the opportunity to taste through a lineup of current releases from the Chappellet Winery on Pritchard Hill in Napa Valley, and the wines were excellent across the board. The setting was especially impressive, that being the Coach Insignia restaurant, on the 72nd floor of the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit, providing not only gastronomy worthy of the fine wines being presented, but also a breathtaking panoramic view of the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair and broad swaths of southeastern Michigan and southern Ontario. One of my favorites of the day was the least expensive selection, a wine that has served yeoman’s duty most well over the years, while taking a back seat to the big reds .

2002 Chappellet Napa Dry Chenin Blanc, $13.99, 13.5% alc.: There's not much Chenin Blanc left in Napa these days, which makes this all the more special; the fruit for this medium straw is sourced from estate - grown fruit (a 7-acre parcel on Chappellet's Pritchard Hill property has been dedicated to Chenin Blanc, representing a tangible commitment to this delicious, but underappreciated varietal) supplemented with grapes from an eight - acre vineyard in St. Helena. 25% of the wine sees one and two - year - old French oak, while the remainder is fermented in stainless steel. Featuring a fragrant, slightly floral bouquet of apple, white peach and a hint of banana that follows through on the palate with a silky texture, good acidity and a lingering finish, this serves perfectly as an aperitif, matching well with the delicious hors d' oeuvres. Cyril Chappellet says that the Fog City Diner has paired this wine for years with their crab cakes, and it would also serve well with moderately spicy Asian cuisine. Chappellet first made their Dry Chenin Blanc back in 1968, and it continues to perform very well, being one of those "deserving of greater recognition" kind of wines.

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.

Edited November 16, 2004 by geo t. (log)

[fyfas]

Read your note elsewhere as well but did not comment...

I really agree that this is a terrific wine, good QPR and very food friendly. Everything Chappelet (IMO) does is always good though often not something that "makes" the radar as we (maybe too often) chase the spectacular.

Edited November 17, 2004 by fyfas (log)

[geo t.]

I really agree that this is a terrific wine, good QPR and very food friendly.  Everything Chappelet (IMO) does is always good though often not something that "makes" the radar as we (maybe too often) chase the spectacular.

←

They do seem to be somewaht off the radar, although the Pritchard Hill Cab is getting some big numbers lately; they were almost, but not quite off of mine when I attended the tasting linked in my note above. Glad I "picked them up."

Cheerios,

geo