Pine Ridge's Unexpected Gem: The Chenin Blanc Viognier Blend

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Ever wonder what happens when a prestigious Napa Valley winery known for $100+ Cabernets creates an affordable white wine? Pine Ridge's Chenin Blanc Viognier blend shatters expectations at just $11.99, delivering complexity and refinement that punches well above its modest price tag.

This delightful anomaly in Pine Ridge's portfolio combines 80% Chenin Blanc from Clarksburg with 20% Viognier from Lodi to create something both accessible and sophisticated. The Chenin Blanc brings versatility and character—a grape capable of everything Chardonnay can do, from crisp freshness to age-worthy complexity. Meanwhile, the Viognier contributes its signature aromatic lift and bright acidity, resulting in a harmonious blend that breaks you out of the usual white wine routine.

What makes this wine particularly special is how Pine Ridge applies premium winemaking techniques typically reserved for their high-end offerings. They harvest slightly early to maintain balance and moderate alcohol (11.5%), and incorporate free-run juice—the highly prized first juice that flows naturally before pressing. The result is a beautifully balanced wine showcasing melon, lemon, peach, apple, nectarine, and tropical fruit notes without becoming overwhelming or one-dimensional.

When you're tired of predictable grocery store whites but don't want to spend a fortune, reach for this bottle. It demonstrates that sometimes the most interesting wines come from established producers stepping outside their comfort zones. While prices may vary slightly by market, it frequently goes on sale and consistently delivers remarkable value. Try it alongside your next seafood dish or enjoy it on its own—either way, you'll wonder why Chenin Blanc remains underappreciated in the American wine scene.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
hey, welcome, it's a domain dave.
Again, again and again andagain from cheapwinefindercom.
We write up um a review forvalue price wine on the
cheapwinefindercom website.
Been doing that since, I think,2008 I've forgotten by now and
then we plug in the microphone.
Well, actually it's alwaysplugged in, but yeah.
Well, here we are and todaywe've got a wine I found for

(00:27):
11.99.
It's the pine ridge cheninblanc, vna 2020 4.
Pine ridge is a napa valleywinery out of stag's leap, who
normally does bordeaux inspiredwines.
This is the one wine that iskind of, but not really out of

(00:49):
their, out of their usual lineof wines, and the reason is
because it's not really well.
One is because it's affordableand Napa Valley Stag Leap's
wines tend to be, you know, aquality price and a quality wine
.
But this wine is the CheninBlanc is.
80% of the wine is Chenin Blancand it's that's from Clarksburg

(01:10):
, ava.
The other 20% is V&A and that'sfrom Lodi, and Lodi is kind of
a Mediterranean style place andthat's in the south.
V&a is from the southwest ofFrance, which is Mediterranean.
The thing about Chenin BlancChenin Blanc is from the lower

(01:30):
valley of France and it's also avery important wine from South
Africa.
South Africa's whole wineindustry, especially their white
wine, is kind of centeredaround growing Chenin Blanc and
it's very individualistic winefrom there.
And it was a few years back itwas kind of like found that

(01:51):
Clarksburg, which is south and alittle east of Napa, is an
ideal place to grow Chenin Blancvines and that in time, because
the winemakers have to figureout what to do with it it's
going to be elite, but right nowthey're still getting $11.99
wines but the winemakers arestarting to figure out what to

(02:15):
do with it.
Let me take a sip.
Chenin Blanc is kind of theforgotten wine.
It does everything Chardonnaycan do.
You can have it un-oaked.
You can have it oaked.
You can have it be fresh, youngwine that you drink right away.

(02:37):
You can put it away for 20years.
It goes in blends, it goes byitself.
It makes outstanding bubbly.
It's one of those wines.
And another thing is everywhere, everywhere it grows, it comes
out just a little bit different,and that's one of the things
it's.
I don't know if you call it adownfall, but you find a chenam

(02:58):
block you like and you don'tremember the name and you buy
another one.
It's not the same.
So it's one of those wines thatwhen you, when you get when you
like, take a picture of thelabel, it's pretty good.
Vna.
Vna is usually a blending grape.
It has a great nose.
It is added to wine all thetime.
That is kind of, uh, thisdoesn't have a good scent and it

(03:21):
needs some oomph.
And plus it has really goodacidity, so it just brightens
everything up, including thenose.
If you put your nose on a winebefore you sip it, it smells
great.
Well, you're going to think ittastes great too most of the
time.
And now what else?
Vina, vna is actually allowed tobe put in red wine in australia
.
I mean, it's it.
It gives that much zip that itit's not just a white, it'll

(03:44):
give a red wine a zip.
So the two of these two wines,two grapes together, are a good
pairing.
And it's a good pairing andit's not the same old same old.
This is not the usual, but theyboth taste in a way that you've
had before.
I mean, they put the flavorstogether in a different way, but
nothing is like what the heckis that you know.

(04:05):
You're not confused as soon asyou drink it.
I'm going to take another sip.
You know what it is.
But it's not the same old stuff.
Like I said, it's not yourusual wine.
It kind of breaks you out ofyour rut and it tastes great.

(04:31):
I mean it's just full flavoredthey.
They picked a little bit earlyso it wouldn't have too much
sugar and too much alcohol.
It's 11.5 and they did a couplelittle things.
They use some.
They blended free run juiceinto it.
Free run juice is the juicewhen you put the grapes into the
um the press.
Before you press it, the weightwill cause juice to come out

(04:53):
and this is thought to be thebest of the juice.
Why, I don't really know.
How does it?
How does a grape know what yourelease first?
I don't know.
But that is a high-end um napavalley.
A lot of napa valley red winesare all free run juice.
They sell the second juice.
They put the second or theactually the first press into

(05:13):
their second blend.
They sell that off.
So this wine has some elite umprocedures done to it.
So, like I said, it tastes great, tastes great.
It's got full flavor, it's gotmelons and lemons and peach and
apple and nectarine and whatelse we got.
We've got pineapple andtropical fruit, but it's

(05:40):
balanced.
You know it's not just a fruitbomb, it's just flavorful wine
with a great nose and that'swell-made.
What more do you ask for?
And I found at $11.99,.
That might be a little low.
It might be a few bucks moreexpensive most places, but it is
on sale often.
So there you go.
It's the Pine Ridge SchoenblankV&A 2024.

(06:04):
It's a good wine at any price.
I mean you can put it upagainst $30 wines.
It'll hold its own.
I mean it's every wine has itsown place, but this wine, as an
inexpensive wine, is a very goodwine.
You know you don't get a verygood $30 wine the same as a very
good $12 wine.
It all works out.

(06:25):
So there you go, Keep it cheap.
This is Domain Dave.
Like us where you like yourpodcast, if you will.
I'll be talking to you in acouple of days.
Adios, I'll be seeing you.
Bye-bye.