The 2023 Clarksburg Chenin Blanc is light, bright, and crisp, exactly as a Chenin Blanc should be, and perfect for the upcoming spring and summer months. Lovely aromatics abound! Light straw in color, the beautiful bouquet delights the nose and a hint of minerality adds body and a refreshing finish.
Laura and Michael Swanton recently celebrated 25 years of winemaking in Calistoga. The boutique winery is known for Zinfandel, but also produces single vineyard designated Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, a Calistoga red blend called “A Quiet Moment” and a Napa Brut specially commissioned for the anniversary. The Chenin Blanc project came along, and they could not resist.
Specs
Varietal: 100% Chenin Blanc
Appellation: Clarksburg
Alcohol: 13%
TA: .59
Harvest Date: September 3, 2023
pH: 3.47
Brix at Harvest: 24
Production: 195 cases
What’s Included
4-bottles:
4x 2023 Laura Michael Wines Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg
Case:
12x 2023 Laura Michael Wines Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg
Laura and Michael Swanton know the many challenges of establishing a boutique winery dedicated to crafting small quantities of fine wine in the Napa Valley. They have experienced them all in their demanding yet delicious, journey from fledging winery to award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel producers.
A long-time wine enthusiast, Owner and Proprietor Laura Swanton purchased the Calistoga winery estate that would become Laura Michael Wines from the Traulsen family in 1999. At the time, Laura was a sales specialist with Cisco Systems in San Jose. It was a career that required intimate knowledge of high-tech product application. Knowing how the technology worked was critical to her success in selling the product.
At the time Laura purchased the winery, Michael had embarked on an independent career in power generation and services, a career that spanned nearly two decades. When they came together in 2006, their current journey started and continues to this day.
Today, their tenacity for learning systems and science is directed at running their small winery and vineyard estate dedicated to limited-production, premium red wines. Since 1999, Laura has managed all winemaking processes from grape sourcing to the logistics of launching and operating a winery. Her zeal to understand winegrowing at its root has her pruning, picking, irrigating, and collecting samples in the vineyard. A thirst for winemaking knowledge encourages her participation in crush, pump-overs, racking, and bottling.
“We do it all,” says Laura. “It’s so important that we work alongside every member of our team, from the temporary harvest help to our consulting winemaker. We are not ones to stand on the sidelines, and fortunately, because we are as small as we are, we can be actively involved in every aspect of this business.”
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
2023 Laura Michael Wines Chenin Blanc
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
We were lucky enough to be a lab rat. Full confession, we love Laura’s wine, but are 98% red wine drinkers. If we drink white wine, we like Pinot Blanc and non oak Chardonnay.
The wine is a lovely pale straw color. UPS had a delay, so we popped in the fridge and had it the same day. There was no noticeable smell, but that did not deter us from enjoying this wine.
The first taste, I got lychees and then spice. We paired it with Campo Grande pork ribs, baked potatoes and roasted broccolini. The spice rub on the pork ribs paired perfectly with this wine and with the broccolini.
The wine opened up with flavors of ginger, and pear/pineapple. It is not a sweet Chenin Blanc. This wine would go great with Thai or steelhead. It deserves to be paired with proteins that can stand up to it. It does not do good with dark chocolate, which we had for dessert. The flavors competed.
We were surprised how much we enjoyed this wine. Thanks Alice and Casemates. I know UPS has not been kind lately.
It would do well on a summer evening, but honestly, I would drink it any time of the year, depending on what you paired it with.
I am available for questions and I will be checking in.
This looks like a delicious, crowd pleasing white wine for a spring picnic party.
Curious as to if folks think this could last into spring '26 without losing any freshness and zip.
2023 Laura Michael Wines Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $360/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Mar 31 - Thursday, Apr 3
2023 Laura Michael Wines Chenin Blanc
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
We were lucky enough to be a lab rat. Full confession, we love Laura’s wine, but are 98% red wine drinkers. If we drink white wine, we like Pinot Blanc and non oak Chardonnay.
The wine is a lovely pale straw color. UPS had a delay, so we popped in the fridge and had it the same day. There was no noticeable smell, but that did not deter us from enjoying this wine.
The first taste, I got lychees and then spice. We paired it with Campo Grande pork ribs, baked potatoes and roasted broccolini. The spice rub on the pork ribs paired perfectly with this wine and with the broccolini.
The wine opened up with flavors of ginger, and pear/pineapple. It is not a sweet Chenin Blanc. This wine would go great with Thai or steelhead. It deserves to be paired with proteins that can stand up to it. It does not do good with dark chocolate, which we had for dessert. The flavors competed.
We were surprised how much we enjoyed this wine. Thanks Alice and Casemates. I know UPS has not been kind lately.
It would do well on a summer evening, but honestly, I would drink it any time of the year, depending on what you paired it with.
I am available for questions and I will be checking in.
@danandlisa Well, you had me until you got to the dark chocolate. Seems odd considering the other compatibilities. That’s a deal breaker around here …
@danandlisa @stolicat To h*ll with the wine, you had me at Campo Grande ribs, love those things. You do back or St. Louis?
This looks like a delicious, crowd pleasing white wine for a spring picnic party.
Curious as to if folks think this could last into spring '26 without losing any freshness and zip.