ABOUT: We here at Bio Wine are enthusiastic imbibers of Chenin Blanc and we were pleased, and surprised, to find a Chenin Blanc made by Evening Land from their historic, biodynamic-tended Seven Springs Vineyard. Surprised because Chenin Blanc is never mentioned in the list of wines made by Evening Land. Until now. It turns out that in 2016 they top-grafted one acre of old vine Pinot Noir over to Chenin Blanc on the southern border of the vineyard. Good thinking Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman, says us. These are the proprietors behind Evening Land, a mighty popular project focused on making top notch wine from grapes grown at the Seven Springs Vineyard in Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Overwhelmingly planted to Pinot Noir, followed by Chardonnay, and Gamay…and now Chenin Blanc. While other wine merchants get busy stocking reliably awesome Evening Land Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, we jumped for the Chenin Blanc. This was an exciting discovery. Only 124 cases out there. They drew inspiration from Anjou, so If you’re into white wines from the Loire Valley, this is the Oregon wine for you. TASTE: The 2018 Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard Chenin Blanc is the second vintage ever produced. The Evening Land website provided a tech sheet for this wine, and there are no two better people than Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman to tell us all what’s up. This is the tasting note: “A historically dry vintage, the 2018 Chenin Blanc ripened fully and developed into a textural, food-friendly wine we knew this site was capable of producing. In terms of style, this Chenin Blanc is bone dry and fiercely reductive. Our volcanic soils yield wines that are flinty, very taut, high in acidity and freshness, with the ability to age for a very long time. “ PAIR:Corn and chickpea salad with miso-jalapeno tahini (thanks Bon Appetit), tempura fried vegetables, spicy kung pao tofu, and a goat cheese omelet with dill.
