Chenin Blanc Takes Root in the Sta. Rita Hills

Vintners from the Sta. Rita Hills built their reputations on the back of pinot noir, and today’s generation is equally, if not even more, excited by the region’s thrilling chardonnays. Meanwhile, the geekier winemakers and their fans realize this foggy, windswept stretch between Buellton and Lompoc is an epic place to grow incredibly distinctive Rhônes like grenache and syrah, and a few are even tuning into small plantings of gamay and grüner veltliner.

So, is this Santa Barbara County growing region between Buellton and Lompoc ready for a new star to grace its stage?

“There is currently no Chenin blanc grown anywhere else in the Sta. Rita Hills,” said Aaron Walker, the winemaker at Pali Wine Co. who converted one acre of pinot noir vines to this white grape variety on their estate vineyard in 2022. “That’s one of the reasons that it was compelling. No one else was doing it.”

Chenin blanc is originally from France’s Loire Valley, where it’s used in everything from sparkling to dessert wines. Due to that versatility, it was widely planted across California generations ago, eventually becoming the backbone for countless cases of generic, cheap white wine. Today, after decades of relative neglect, it’s experiencing a surge in interest, largely by vintners who are rediscovering those old plantings that still survive.

Walker has long been a fan of the Chenin blanc and was introduced to its Santa Ynez Valley version through the wines of his late friend, the winemaker Seth Kunin, who died at age 50 in 2017. “He was making Chenin before it was in vogue,” said Walker.

In 2016, Walker started making some of his own Santa Ynez Valley Chenin blanc by buying grapes from a vineyard known as Jurassic Park. Planted in the oldest corner of the Curtis Vineyard in 1982, Jurassic Park is now a primary source for Chenin blanc–makers across California, who appreciate its four decades of vine age.  

When Pierce’s disease took out a good chunk of Pali’s estate pinot noir vines a few years ago, Walker and his team wondered what else they should plant, as they’d realized they had too much pinot anyway. “Chenin was almost a no-brainer,” said Walker. “We love it. I don’t know why it’s experiencing this popularity right now. I just know that we’ve really enjoyed it.”

It was also an opportunity to see how the grape would perform in a much more marginal environment than Jurassic Park, which is reliably warm compared to the Sta. Rita Hills. “We know it can do well in cool-climate areas,” said Walker. “We just don’t have any of those options in this area.”

The Chenin blanc took hold quickly, forcing the Pali team to thin the crop, as the variety is a hearty producer. Such work can also aid to progress properly through the season. “That was our biggest concern: Could it get ripe?” said Walker.

Even with all that thinning, the one acre of vines yielded four tons during its first harvest ever last fall. Some of that went to a sparkling project that will be released next year, but the rest went into the inaugural Pali Wine Co. Estate Chenin Blanc 2023.

Walker is happy with the results. “We wanted it to bring a high-acid intensity,” he said of the bottling, which pairs citrus, apple, and stone flavors with a firm, almost leathery texture. “I’ve had nothing but great feedback.”

Walker also planted syrah and gamay recently at the estate and may plant more Chenin blanc down the road. Or maybe it will be something different. “There are a lot of unexplored varietals in the Sta. Rita Hills,” he said. “Especially if climate change continues going in the direction it is, we’re gonna be able to grow things here that we weren’t able to grow 10-20 years ago.”

For now, he’s just stoked on the chenin, which is looking just as promising on the vine this year. Said Walker, “I’d like to think that we’re a pioneer of something out here in the Sta. Rita Hills.”

Pali Wine Co. Funk Zone Wine Garden, 205 Anacapa St.; (805) 869-2619; paliwineco.com

40th Annual Santa Barbara Vintners Festival

Get a taste of Pali’s Chenin blanc and hundreds of other wines at the 40th Annual Santa Barbara Vintners Festival, which is on Oct. 19, from 1-4 p.m., at Vega Vineyard & Farm in Buellton. More than 60 wineries and nearly 30 restaurants will be serving, and there will be live music by Generic Clapton, a grapevine giveaway, an instant cellar raffle, and a silent auction.

This year, guests seeking a special, more private experience can rent one of Vega’s new “Pop’s Place” cabanas, which includes eight tickets, two parking spots, a charcuterie plate, two bottles of wine to drink, and a six-pack of selected wines to take home for $2,500. There’s a range of other ticket prices as well, from the basic $125 to the $175 early entry to the $25 non-drinking options.

See sbvintnersweekend.com.