2021 Chenin Blanc Mt. Pajaro Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Chenin Blanc Mt. Pajaro Vineyard is a bright straw/yellow color. Flinty and bright, it’s pure and lifted with aromas of white flowers, green pear, chive, and resinous earth. Medium-bodied, with a silky texture, it has a nice snap of fresh acidity on the finish. A very pure expression of Chenin that’s refreshing to see, it’s very well done. It’s delicious now, but readers shouldn’t be in a hurry to open these bottles. Drink 2024-2034.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
With each successive vintage, the Chenin Blanc at Mt. Pajaro gains a layer of interest, but patience is necessary, as with most of the Rhys range. The nose of the 2021 Chenin Blanc Mt. Pajaro Vineyard is tropical and flashy, with orange peel, honey and tangerine aromas. Quenching and succulent in the mouth but initially short on the finish, this required a fair amount of air to settle into itself. Given the consistent performance of prior vintages, I suspect this is promising and should be given a couple of years to congeal.
The 2021 Chenin Blanc Mt. Pajaro Vineyard is fabulous. It offers a compelling mix of varietal and site character. Crushed rocks, mint, white pepper, chalk, citrus and bright saline notes abound. A wine of crystalline purity and tension, the 2021 bristles with character. I loved it.
Whole-cluster pressed into mostly neutral oak barrels and a few stainless-steel drums where the wine ferments with native yeasts and goes through full malolactic conversion. Spends one year in barrels with no racking or stirring. Spends 6 additional months in stainless-steel tanks on the lees before bottling with no fining or filtration. 250 cases made. Palest greenish gold. Aromas of struck flint and pears. Flavours of lemon pith, pear and a hint of quince mix with grapefruit and faint sawdust notes. Excellent acidity, wonderful lift and brightness. (AY)