An Impeccable Chenin Blanc!
When I cut my teeth on Chenin Blanc as a young adult in our emerging Ashbury Market, salespeopole would always remind me that I would have to play ball (buy other wines they couldn’t sell) in order to get the highly allocated Charles Krug Chenin. Granted that wine was delicious, but it was just the beginning for this sometimes maligned grape variety. As BevMo’s Cellarmaster for nearly 20 years, I traveled was able to get to the Loire Valley, and after tasting the Chenins from those AOCs, the ceiling rose and left me searching.
2025 Ridge HERINGER CHENIN BLANC CLARKSBURG$35.00 (Tasted: March 17, 2026, San Francisco, CA, USA) 93 POINTS, WILFRED WONG The 2025 Ridge HERINGER CHENIN BLANC is Light straw in color; slightly rustic with dried spice and delicate aromatic floral notes in the nose; medium-bodied, dry, with lively acidity and excellent balance; flavors of dried earth, mineral, and tart citrus drive the palate; finishes racy, crisp, and focused. From the breezy Sacramento Delta, this wine finds a natural partner in a classic Dungeness crab salad—lightly dressed with lemon and olive oil—where the Chenin’s bright acidity and mineral tension elevate the crab's sweetness, creating a pairing that feels both effortless and distinctly Californian. (Best Served: 2026-2030)[SOURCING: USA, California, Clarksburg] [COMPOSITION: 100% Chenin Blanc] [TECHNICAL: 13.2% alcohol, 7.21 g/L total acidity, 3.43 pH] [Winemaker: Shauna Rosenblum (Ridge Vineyards, Lytton Springs] Produced & Bottled by Ridge Vineyards, Inc., Healdsburg, CA
High-quality Chenin Blancs sometimes land in my tasting sets—and I’m paying close attention. What was once a category that the wine trade often dismissed should be taking center stage.
Salud!
—Wilfred Wong
Cheers!
