Husch Vineyards

Chenin Blanc once needed no champions. It was everywhere, and a generation of American wine drinkers started with it. Then Chardonnay became The White, and Chenin was replaced not just in the vineyards, but in stores, restaurants, and the memories of wine-drinkers throughout the land. The good news is that the folks who have the best Chenin Blanc vines in the best sites, such as Chappellet in Napa Valley and Husch in Anderson Valley, don’t need to pump out tons of the stuff. They just keep making it and delighting their fans.

Husch makes its Chenin with a bit of residual sugar to emphasize the grape’s peach and lychee flavors without losing the citrus highlights. In other words, it smells like summer in the glass. The body is soft but not flabby, and there’s a lovely blossomy expansion on the tongue before the full effect of the residual sugar arrives to match the acidity and finish off the experience. Chenin has sometimes been described as a delicate maiden; here she gets a sweet, full-figured treatment that looks good on her.

Reviewed March 23, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.