Matt Crutchfield Wines 'Direct Press' Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg, California 2024
Matt Crutchfield came up through tasting rooms in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and wine bars in Charleston before heading to Sonoma to work harvest. One harvest turned into six — plus a stint in New Zealand — and the cellar became his calling. He now works as Assistant Winemaker at RYME Cellars while building his own label on the side. Named by New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov as one of ten California winemakers worth getting to know now, Crutchfield has built a small, focused portfolio centered on white wines and orange wines, with minimal intervention as the guiding principle across every wine. Representation is central to his mission: as a winemaker of color in a historically exclusionary industry, his wines are as much a statement as a product. The Direct Press Chenin Blanc is his cleanest, most direct expression of Wilson Vineyards fruit — no skin contact, no alteration, just Clarksburg Chenin pressed straight to barrel.
- WINEMAKER: Matt Crutchfield
- FARMING: Certified Organic. Wilson Vineyards, Clarksburg, Yolo County.
- VARIETY: 100% Chenin Blanc
- TERROIR: Wilson Vineyards is located in the Clarksburg AVA of Yolo County, in the Sacramento River Delta. The region's warm days are dramatically cooled each afternoon by Delta breezes from the San Francisco Bay, creating ideal conditions for Chenin Blanc: full natural ripeness with naturally high acidity intact. Sandy loam soils along the river floor are well-draining and low-fertility, producing concentrated, expressive fruit.
- VINIFICATION: Whole cluster pressed directly to stainless steel, then transferred to neutral oak barrels for fermentation. Native yeast. No additions.
- AGING: 11 months in neutral oak barrels. Minimal SO₂.
- TASTING NOTES: Green apple, lime, and honey with a racy, textured mouthfeel. Classic Chenin Blanc beeswax and citrus pith carry through to a clean, mineral finish. Precise and food-friendly.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Oysters, grilled fish, fresh chèvre, lighter pasta dishes.
Matt Crutchfield Wines 'Direct Press' Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg, California 2024
Matt Crutchfield came up through tasting rooms in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and wine bars in Charleston before heading to Sonoma to work harvest. One harvest turned into six — plus a stint in New Zealand — and the cellar became his calling. He now works as Assistant Winemaker at RYME Cellars while building his own label on the side. Named by New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov as one of ten California winemakers worth getting to know now, Crutchfield has built a small, focused portfolio centered on white wines and orange wines, with minimal intervention as the guiding principle across every wine. Representation is central to his mission: as a winemaker of color in a historically exclusionary industry, his wines are as much a statement as a product. The Direct Press Chenin Blanc is his cleanest, most direct expression of Wilson Vineyards fruit — no skin contact, no alteration, just Clarksburg Chenin pressed straight to barrel.
- WINEMAKER: Matt Crutchfield
- FARMING: Certified Organic. Wilson Vineyards, Clarksburg, Yolo County.
- VARIETY: 100% Chenin Blanc
- TERROIR: Wilson Vineyards is located in the Clarksburg AVA of Yolo County, in the Sacramento River Delta. The region's warm days are dramatically cooled each afternoon by Delta breezes from the San Francisco Bay, creating ideal conditions for Chenin Blanc: full natural ripeness with naturally high acidity intact. Sandy loam soils along the river floor are well-draining and low-fertility, producing concentrated, expressive fruit.
- VINIFICATION: Whole cluster pressed directly to stainless steel, then transferred to neutral oak barrels for fermentation. Native yeast. No additions.
- AGING: 11 months in neutral oak barrels. Minimal SO₂.
- TASTING NOTES: Green apple, lime, and honey with a racy, textured mouthfeel. Classic Chenin Blanc beeswax and citrus pith carry through to a clean, mineral finish. Precise and food-friendly.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Oysters, grilled fish, fresh chèvre, lighter pasta dishes.