Winemaker Notes
This wine is quintessential Bien Nacido, big, rich and velvety on the palate with loads of forward cherry & strawberry fruit framed in with attractive spice, cola and toasty characteristics adding complexity. This wine is eminently drinkable today but also has a great track record of aging for 6-8 years.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This Pinot Noir is insanely delicious. The wine is dry, tart and moderate in alcohol, giving it the smooth silkiness you want in a fine Pinot. The flavors are something else, striking the perfect balance between ripe raspberries, earthy cola, red licorice and mushrooms, with all kinds of spicy complexities. The acid-tannin balance is impeccable. It’s drinking beautifully now and should hold and change in the bottle over the next eight years.
Santa Maria Valley lies mainly in northern Santa Barbara County, with a small portion of it overlapping southern San Luis Obispo County. It is close to the Pacific, and runs east-west, which means warmer air in the eastern end draws cool air off the ocean in the west, and brings it through the valley. This effect, combined with abundant sunshine, lengthens the growing season. The longer growing season leads to long hang time, which promotes both ripeness and optimal acidity levels in grape berries. As early as the 1970’s, Santa Maria Valley was recognized as being a superior source of wine grapes, certainly including Chardonnay and Syrah. But arguably the top variety here is Pinot Noir.
Originally a domain primarily of growers, including the Miller Family of the justifiably famous Bien Nacido Vineyard, this AVA is now home to over 30 wineries. Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir consistently offers full flavors of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, often accompanied by notes of spice, cola, vanilla and earth. They show impressive balance and elegance, as well as great versatility with food.