The 2025 vintage of Pine Ridge Vineyards' Chenin Blanc + Viognier arrives as the blend crosses its 30th anniversary — and with it comes a formal leadership transition: winemaker Josh Widaman now oversees the CB+V program in addition to his existing stewardship of the winery's Cabernet Sauvignon portfolio. The dual appointment signals that Pine Ridge is treating its white wine franchise as a program of equal strategic weight alongside its flagship red.
The Blend's Backstory
Founder Gary Andrus launched the Chenin Blanc + Viognier blend in 1995, nearly two decades after the winery first produced Chenin Blanc in 1978. The pairing is unconventional by California standards — Chenin Blanc supplies acidity, structure, and freshness while Viognier adds texture, floral lift, and stone-fruit character — and draws fruit from the Sacramento Delta, a cooler growing region that gives the wine its signature profile. At a $16 retail price point, CB+V has long served as an accessible entry into the Pine Ridge range, appealing to both on-premise beverage programs looking for value-driven white wine options and direct-to-consumer buyers seeking everyday versatility.
Widaman's connection to the program predates his tenure at Pine Ridge. He first encountered the blend as a harvest intern at neighboring Stags' Leap Winery, and that early exposure shaped his winemaking sensibility. "Chenin Blanc + Viognier was a Pine Ridge wine that captured my attention during my first vintage working in the Napa Valley," Widaman said. "It is an honor to now guide this iconic program into its next chapter."
Recognition and On-Premise Relevance
The milestone coincides with a Wine Enthusiast 2026 Wine Star Awards nomination for American Winery of the Year — now in its 27th year, the awards recognize standout producers across the wine, spirits, and beverage alcohol industry. The nomination adds third-party credibility that buyers, sommeliers, and retail buyers can point to when building programs around the brand. For beverage directors navigating a crowded California white wine category, a sub-$20 SKU with three decades of consistent production and a freshly elevated winemaking lead offers a compelling story at the table.
Sustainability credentials are increasingly part of the on-premise conversation as well. Pine Ridge holds Napa Green Certification for both winery and vineyard, holds Silver membership in International Wineries for Climate Action, and has committed to Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. The winery has also reduced its bottle weight to 404 grams — roughly 20% lighter than traditional bottles — and introduced a lightweight glass logo available to industry partners, retailers, and restaurants committed to bottles at or below 420 grams. For operators building eco-conscious wine lists, that packaging data point is a practical differentiator.
The CB+V also checks several boxes aligned with current consumer preferences tracked across restaurant beverage program reporting: no added sugar, naturally lower alcohol and calories, and certified gluten- and vegan-friendly. Those attributes make it easier for servers to recommend confidently across a broad range of dietary preferences without requiring extensive table-side explanation.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
