Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
This is Fetzer’s project in the Central Coast, and the second vintage in a row in which Robert Blue turned out an exceptional pinot from Bien Nacido. It’s an immediate hit of bright red fruit and stemmy peppercorn spice, then it lasts with quiet persistence, lively and substantial in its blood-orange acidity and roseate tannins. Those tannins have a sandy feel, coastal and fresh.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Dried red cherry, wild thyme, sagebrush and an underlying hint of game show on the nose of this bottling from a vineyard first planted more than four decades ago. The palate is herbaceous at first before delivering flavors of roast pork in a mulberry-thyme sauce.
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.