Florèz Wines "Clair Doré" Chenin Blanc, Santa Cruz Mountains, California 2024

FROM JENNY & FRANCOIS:

THE WINE: 100% Chenin Blanc. A new wine to the Florez lineup. Largely inspired by Francophile tendencies, this Chenin Blanc is a relative newcomer to the Gimelli Vineyard and we had to work with it. Seeking that Loire Valley like balance of texture and freshness, this is a fun one. The name means clear gold and the color reflects that: a light gold. Aromas of baked pear, honeyed citrus, yellow apple, and oyster shell. The palate is smooth with baked pear, and cultured butter.

THE PRODUCER: Florèz Wines was founded by James Jelks in 2017. Born in Santa Cruz and raised in Davis California Jelks is a west coast kid. After a decade of wine fascination, attending the UC Davis E&V program, and working worldwide Jelks set his sights on producing wines in Santa Cruz county. He is farming some vineyards himself, always dry-farmed, and is also sourcing some fruit from organic and sustainable vineyards. He always works with native yeasts, does not use additives except for a minimal amount of sulfur at bottling, and does not filter the wines.