BloodRoot 'Heringer Vineyard' Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg, California 2023

BloodRoot is a Healdsburg-based label conceived by Noah and Kelly Dorrance — the team behind Reeve Wines, and previously co-founders of Banshee Wines — in collaboration with head winemaker Katy Wilson. The name BloodRoot reflects the founders' belief in wine's rootedness in place: the "blood" of the vine nourished by the "roots" and terroir of each site. The project is built on a philosophy of making serious, terroir-driven wines from benchmark California vineyards at accessible price points, with an emphasis on unexpected varieties and honest site expression. The Heringer Vineyard Chenin Blanc is sourced from the Heringer family's organically farmed parcel in Clarksburg, a cool-climate AVA in the Sacramento River Delta recognized as one of California's finest Chenin Blanc-growing regions.

• Winemaker: Katy Wilson; with Noah Dorrance
• Farming: Organically farmed. The Heringer family has cultivated land along the Sacramento River Delta since 1868, planting their first wine grapes in the 1970s. The Clarksburg AVA's combination of warm days, cool Delta Breeze afternoons, and silty loam soils over the Sacramento River floodplain creates exceptional growing conditions for Chenin Blanc.
• Variety: Chenin Blanc 100%
• Terroir: Heringer Vineyard, Clarksburg AVA, Yolo County, California. Located in the Sacramento River Delta, the vineyard benefits from the defining climatic feature of the appellation: the afternoon "Delta Breeze," a cool maritime airflow from the Pacific that provides significant daily temperature variation, preserving natural acidity and extending hang time. The silty, alluvial loam soils of the Delta — former floodplain — are distinctive in California, contributing both richness and freshness to the Chenin Blanc fruit.
• Vinification: Fermented using a combination of concrete tank, stainless steel, and used oak barrels to build complexity while preserving freshness and the grape's inherent savory character.
• Aging: Aged in a combination of concrete, stainless steel, and neutral oak. Bottled without heavy intervention to preserve site expression.
• Tasting Notes: Pale gold. Ripe pear, honey, white flowers, and beeswax on the nose with a characteristic waxy, orchard fruit quality. The palate is bright and textured — citrus, stone fruit, and a saline mineral thread — with vibrant acidity and a clean, focused finish. Crisp, savory, and eminently drinkable.
• Food Pairings: Dungeness crab, grilled halibut, roast chicken, soft-ripened goat cheese, and vegetable tempura.