Alder Springs Vineyard Chenin Blanc
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 2–8 years from vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Fresh oysters, roasted chicken, goat cheese
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Hailing from the rugged, high-altitude wilderness of northern Mendocino County, the Alder Springs Vineyard Chenin Blanc is a testament to extreme viticulture. Founded by Stuart Bewley in 1993, Alder Springs is legendary for its steep, fractured sandstone slopes and intense maritime influence, sitting just miles from the Pacific Ocean. Pax Mahle harnesses this unique terroir to craft a Chenin Blanc of striking purity and tension. Utilizing native yeast fermentation and aging in neutral French oak and concrete, the wine preserves the vineyard's signature flinty minerality, vibrant acidity, and textured mouthfeel. It stands as a brilliant California homage to the classic, bone-dry styles of the Loire Valley.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 2000 by Pax and Pamela Mahle, Pax is a pioneering Sonoma County winery celebrated for redefining California Syrah through a lens of elegance and restraint. Based in Sebastopol, California, the winery sources fruit from cool-climate, coastal-influenced vineyards across Sonoma and Mendocino counties, such as the acclaimed Alder Springs and Castelli Knight Ranch. Pax's winemaking philosophy centers on minimal intervention, employing whole-cluster fermentation, native yeasts, and aging in concrete vats and neutral French oak to highlight pure terroir. The estate is highly renowned for its savory, structurally complex Syrahs, alongside vibrant, terroir-driven expressions of Gamay, Chenin Blanc, and Mondeuse.