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Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Terraces Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg 2016

Invited to a wine dinner at Crossings Restaurant featuring The Terraces wine from Napa Valley earlier this week, I braved the heat and the traffic to get to South Pasadena on time. It was pushing 90 degrees, and more than an hour in my car did not have me in the mood for the red wines I was anticipating. But, as we sat down for dinner, the first glass of wine was poured, The Terraces Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg 2016. In general, I am a fan of the easy-drinking chenin blanc with floral and fruit notes and delicate acidity. But, The Terraces chenin blanc blew me away. It is an exquisite wine and hence the Please The Palate pick of the week.

The Terraces is located in the eastern foothills of Rutherford in Napa Valley. The vineyard dates back to the 1870s and has, in fact, been producing fruit continuously since then. The winery was started in 1985 and Sharon and Tim Crull purchased the ranch in 1993 and the winery in 1999.

01 July, 2017

An Afternoon with Nicolas Joly

We hear stories of biodynamic producers planting cow horns and running naked through the vineyards. But, biodynamics are based on the spiritual/practical philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. It is a controversial topic among winemakers. Many are skeptical about the practice while others embrace it. One of the most well-known biodynamic winemakers from the Loire Valley in France is Nicolas Joly of Vignoble de la Coulée de Serrant. He is known as the father of biodynamic wine making and as a passionate environmentalist, at 69 years of age, Joly travels, writes and speaks about his beliefs.

While on a press trip to the Loire Valley, we were scheduled to visit Coulée de Serrant and to our great surprise, Nicolas Joly was there to greet us when we arrived. We spent the next three hours walking through the vineyards, tasting his wines and listening to him wax poetic about his grapes.

23 September, 2014