Lyman Ranch Chenin Blanc
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2027
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Oysters on the half shell, roasted pork loin, goat cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the historic Lyman Ranch in Amador County, this exceptional white wine showcases some of California's oldest Chenin Blanc vines, originally planted in 1943. These dry-farmed, head-trained old vines dig deep into the region's granitic and sandy loam soils, yielding fruit of remarkable concentration and electric acidity. Winemaker Pax Mahle coaxes out the grape's natural texture and vibrant personality through minimal intervention, employing whole-cluster pressing and native yeast fermentation. The wine is typically aged in a combination of neutral French oak and concrete, preserving its bright orchard fruit flavors, wet-stone minerality, and savory undertones without the masking influence of new wood. It stands as a testament to the heritage and potential of historic California vineyards.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2000 by Pax and Pam Mahle, Pax Wines emerged as an influential champion of cool-climate California viticulture, initially earning renown for single-vineyard expressions of Syrah. Operating out of an urban winery and tasting cellar in Sebastopol's Barlow district, the domaine collaborates closely with growers across coastal Sonoma County, Mendocino, and the Sierra Foothills. Viticulture centers on organically and sustainably farmed heritage plots, frequently anchored in fractured shale, marine sandstone, and decomposed granite. While early vintages leaned rich and assertive, Pax evolved toward an uncompromising low-intervention ethos characterized by whole-cluster foot stomping, spontaneous fermentations driven by ambient yeasts, neutral French oak aging, and minimal sulfur. Beyond benchmark Syrah bottlings such as Alder Springs, Griffin's Lair, and Castelli-Knight Ranch, the portfolio explores esoteric and heritage white varieties, notably old-vine Chenin Blanc, Vermentino, and Pinot Blanc, celebrated for their tensile acidity, savory transparency, and mineral cut.
🍇 Grapes
Chenin Blanc