Maitre de Chai, Sparkling Chenin Blanc NV, Clarksburg, Sacramento Valley, CA

This light-bodied traditional method Chenin Blanc sparkling has aromas of daffodil, scallion, and quince, and is tart and refreshing on the palate.

COUNTRY: USA

STATE: California

APPELLATION: Clarksburg

REGION: Central Valley

SUBREGION: Sacramento Valley

VINEYARD(S): Wilson Vineyard

VINTAGE: NV

GRAPES: 100% Chenin Blanc

PRACTICE: Organic

SOIL: Rich loam (sand and clay mix)

VINIFICATION: The base wine was fermented with its native yeasts and aged in a mix of stainless steel tanks and neutral wood barrels. Bottle aged for eight months. Hand disgorged in summer 2022.

METHOD: Traditional (Champagne method)

STYLE: Sparkling

BODY: Light bodied

TASTE: Dry

PRIMARY AROMAS: Daffodil, quince, scallion

FLAVOR: Green apple, stone fruit, refreshing, tart

FORMAT: 750ml

ALCOHOL: 11.5%

SERVICE AND SUGGESTION: Serve chilled. Pair with shellfish, or a cheese and fruit platter.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: 

“Maître de Chai translates to keeper of the cellar, or the person responsible for the development and aging of wine. By extension, the humble cellar master is the person responsible for the management of the winery.

"Established in 2012, Maître de Chai is the personal project of Marty Winters and Alex Pitts. Together we look to make wines of high quality in a way that best showcases the sense of place where the grapes are grown and the personality of the vineyard. From the ground to the bottle, the character of the wine is the focus of our endeavor. We source grapes from unique and distinct single vineyards that are impeccably farmed here in California.

"As our name implies, we care for the wines in the cellar. We defer to nature, limiting our intervention. We taste and we wait, allowing the wines to develop and speak for the places in which they are rooted.”

ABOUT THE VINEYARD: Wilson Vineyard

The Wilson Vineyard was planted in 1998 and is farmed by the fourth generation of the Wilson family. This vineyard has shown us the beauty of high-acid wines from the Delta, where constant winds blow across the cool waters of the Sacramento River. 

ABOUT THE LABEL:

The illustrative component of the Maître de Chai logo originated from an 1883 book titled The Wine Press and the Cellar authored by Emmett Rixford. This book served as one of the first guides to winemaking rather than grape growing.

Rixford was a San Francisco attorney who planted his 40-acre “La Questa Vineyard” in the Santa Cruz mountains near Woodside in 1884, and in 1915 his cabernet won the Gold Medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Today, 1 acre of his original vineyard remains within the 17-acre Woodside Vineyards.

Lady Liberty, of statue fame, but based on the Roman goddess Libertas, stands next to an American flag shield. She holds a bottle of uncorked bubbles. The bear, a grizzly, rests against a barrel. While some versions of the California "bear flag" flew before this image, it predates the state's adoption of the flag in 1911. The bear on the state flag is based on Monarch, the famed "last wild grizzly" captured at the request of W.R. Hearst to be displayed in Golden Gate Park in 1889.

Our friends at Gatto Design helped us refine the original image for our labels.