The 2023 vintage of Vanessa Cherruau's incredible Chenin Blanc from Chateau de Plaisance is arriving in just a few weeks. I've included a more detailed story of the winery below if you want to get into the weeds, but the very short story is this. Vanessa Cherruau took over a vineyard in the Quarts de Chaume of Anjou - historically a center for botrytis-infused sweet chenin - and began making intensely concentrated dry wines on the hill, where the specific soil and aspect of the vineyard makes for Chenin Blanc with heretofore unplumbed depth and acidity like the heart of a dying star. These are generally among our favorite Chenin Blancs each vintage, and in 2023, the assiduous work of the best growers was particularly important in a challenging season. Those grapes that made it across the finish line were of high quality, but yield was down by necessity.