2016 Margins Clarksburg Chenin Blanc

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming; clay/loam soils; whole cluster pressed; undergoes complete native MLF; aged in neutral French oak for 6 months with biweekly bâttonage; zero added SO2; 192 cases
Winemaker: Megan Bell

Margins Wine is a small personal project of an idealistic twenty-something called Megan Bell, launched in 2016 with a Kickstarter campaign. Having earned her BS from UC Davis and worked in vineyards from Napa and the Willamette Valley to New Zealand and the Loire, Megan settled in the Santa Cruz Mountains for a job – assistant winemaker at Beauregard Vineyards – but set her sights on making her own wine using grapes from as many underrepresented vineyards, regions, and varietals as possible. We love her philosophy: “we are part of the growing movement in California to make wines from sustainably farmed vineyards with little to no additives, showcasing the vineyards they came from. Much like people living on the “margins of society,” vineyards can be outcasts too. Most consumers of wine are only familiar with a handful of grape growing regions and types of wine.” She aims to change that homogeneity by making great, terroir-driven wine from these fringe grapes and getting them some much deserved attention. Like this zero-sulfur Chenin from Clarksburg, near Sacramento, which is clean, crisp and pure, with apple and lemon curd – one of the best Cali Chenin’s I’ve had. Watch out for Megan, she’s going places – and remember you heard it here first…