01 Dec Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Abbot’s Passage 2019 Sightline, Heringer Estate Vineyards, Clarksburg

There is something that intrigues me about unique wine blends. It is familiar to see Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blended, or Cabernet and Merlot. But when I find a blend with two grape varieties not normally paired together, I am intrigued. And this week, I was intrigued by the Abbot’s Passage 2019 Sightline, Heringer Estate Vineyards from Clarksburg, the Please The Palate wine of the week. Abbot’s Passage was created in 2013 by sixth-generation vintner Katie Bundschu. Located in Glen Ellen, Abbot’s Passage wines are predominantly Rhone-focused, exploratory blends. Sourcing fruit from known, and unknown, vineyards in Sonoma County and beyond, Katie produces one-of-a-kind field blends. Abbot’s Passage 2019 Sightline is a blend of 74 percent Chenin Blanc and 26 percent Verdejo sourced from the Heringer Estate Vineyards in Clarksburg. Clarksburg is located on the Sacramento River, in the southeastern corner of YOLO County and is where the Heringer family has been farming grapes since the 1970s. The Chenin Blanc was from three hand-selected rows and the Verdejo came from two rows. The grapes were co-fermented in a concrete egg and gently barrel-aged in neutral oak. Typically, Chenin Blanc has notes of apple, quince, passion fruit, lime, honeydew melon, peach, and mandarin orange with medium-plus to high acidity. Found in Spain, Verdejo is typically a light bodied wine with notes of lemon, lime, grapefruit, fennel, and grass. The Abbot’s Passage 2019 Sightline is pale yellow in color. The unconventional blend of Chenin Blanc and Verdejo results in a wine with notes of apple, nectarine, apricot, lemon zest, lime, and white flowers. The wine is bright and zesty with a creamy midpalate and an elegant finish. There were only 626 cases released of the Abbot’s Passage 2019 Sightline which retails for $35. I encourage you to enjoy this refreshing and fun white wine blend!