2023 Margins Chenin Blanc Clarksburg

100% organic Chenin Blanc from the Wilson Vineyard in Clarksburg.  Whole cluster pressed to stainless steel tank for fermentation. Aged in neutral oak for five months with bâttonage every other week during October - February. Native fermentation, no fining, no filtration, no other modifications or additions except 20 ppm of sulfur dioxide the week before bottling. 12.5% alcohol. 148 cases made. There’s tons of ripe stone fruit on the nose, with apricot and peach making an appearance alongside lemon, honey, chamomile tea and minerals on the nose. Zingy and bright on the palate, with brisk acidity undercutting the varietal’s trademark beeswax and honey’like richness. Winemaker/owner Megan Bell makes low-intervention wines out of Santa Cruz, focusing on underrepresented varietals, styles and regions.

"Block 20 was farmed completely organically starting in 2020, which is another success story that proves my theory that if you invest time into building relationships and commit to a goal, agricultural change is possible. When I began to work with this vineyard in 2016, I nudged vineyard manager David toward the idea of organically farming this 20-acre block. Agricultural change doesn’t happen overnight, and David has been working for years toward the achievement of organic conversion in this block. Part of the Margins mission over the years was to work with growers while they transitioned their vineyards to organic farming by providing guidance as well as assurance that the grapes would have a home. I believe that if I worked with solely organic vineyards, I would not be using my role in the industry to its full potential to enact agricultural change. As of harvest 2021, all vineyards Margins works with are organically farmed.