2018 Beau Rivage Chenin Blanc

29 year old Beau Rivage winemaker William Kelley began covering the wines of Burgundy for the Wine Advocate in 2018 and now also covers Champagne and Bordeaux. His rise in wine writing circles has been meteoric. He has brought a scholarly view to his role that makes his writing and communications unique and compelling. While it’s very early days for Kelley and his partner in Beau Rivage, Frank Ingriselli, the results already speak for themselves. And the quality will continue to advance each year. Kelley is inspired by both the great French growers he so often visits and writes about, and by history Beau Rivage is not seeking to emulate Chenin from anywhere else, but simply to produce a classically balanced and affordably priced Clarksburg Chenin, using organically farmed fruit and artisanal winemaking techniques.The wine is drawn from some of Clarksburg’s oldest vines, planted in the 1960s and sourced from a long-term organic grower. Kelley oversees harvest by hand and makes the wine alongside his friend and partner Frank Ingriselli, who also manages the aging. The grapes are picked in two lots. Grapes from the sunny side of the vine are crushed (to release extract), with the fruit from the more shaded side being whole cluster pressed using a very long and firm cycle. The musts are then fermented wild and raised in old, low toast, Burgundy barrels that have seen eight vintages. Each year Kelley uses more and more solids, with the wines building texture and drive from their time on lees. From 2020, longer élevage again and more precision at harvesting (based on the experience of the previous years) come into play.