Twenty minutes south of Sacramento, California, you’ll find Clarksburg. It’s an off-the-beaten-track place, and the grapes grown in the surrounding countryside are mostly sent away to be blended. Clarksburg wines are rarely seen, and sit well outside the California mainstream.
But when wine writer William Kelley went in search of organically farmed fruit for classically-styled wines, this is where he found it. Clarksburg’s specialism is Chenin Blanc, which thrives here on the banks of the Sacramento River. Inspired by the potential, William and his business partner Frank Ingriselli founded Beau Rivage to produce pure Clarksburg Chenin Blanc.
Working with some of the area's best vines (planted in the 1960s and organically farmed for years) William takes his inspiration from top Burgundy producers, as well as like-minded winemakers in California. Wild yeast fermentations and ageing in old oak are part of the formula, and the result is an exceptional Chenin that combines the classical notes of the Loire with the ripeness of California - beautifully balanced, subtly textured and with mouth-watering freshness.
In the space of a few years, Beau Rivage has become a new California benchmark, and brought Clarksburg Chenin Blanc to the notice of the wine world.
