Chenin Blanc, originally from the central Loire Valley in France, has a long history in California (and other far-flung new world wine regions) and as recently as 1980, Chenin Blanc acres outnumbered Chardonnay in Napa Valley. Those days are long gone but Chenin Blanc is having a resurgence that is unlikely to stop anytime soon, with demand for fruit from quality-driven vineyards exceeding supply. Craig Haarmeyer, along with his son Alex, wife Kelly, and daughter Marian started their winery in 2008 and quickly came to focus on Chenin Blanc, exploring the terroirs of Northern California using this versatile and transparent grape. The terroir for this bottling, Sutter Ranch Vineyard, is located deep in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta in the southernmost part of the Clarksburg AVA where the average temperature is lower than that of the northern end and of the Lodi AVA to the east. The wind howls through the organically farmed vineyard bringing cool marine air that tempers the summer heat. The fruit is foot trodden and spends an hour on skins before being pressed to tank for a one day cold settle. Fermentation and aging is conducted in stainless steel, neutral barrel and concrete egg without any additions except minimal sulfur at bottling. The result is a fresh and clean wine with flavors of yellow apple, pear, pear skin, quince, chamomile and flint. This year's harvest was a little riper so the acid levels are conducive to drinking acappella but would be lovely with a chicken in cream sauce.