Bien Nacido Estate Chardonnay 2012
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Wine Enthusiast
A vivid bouquet of white flowers is cut by a pungent, pithy funkiness of crushed ants and iodine on this classic bottling by the Miller family and winemaker Trey Fletcher. The intriguing palate is tensely layered, with grapefruit pith, lime-sprayed limestone and a bit of almond oil on the finish, proving uniquely spicy and incredibly long-lasting.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Just as good as the Solomon Hills release, the 2012 Chardonnay Bien Nacido (fermented and aged 16 months in 33% new French oak) offers classic apple, white flower, lemon curd and crushed-rock characteristics in a clean, elegant and balanced profile. It too gains depth and richness in the glass, has excellent acidity and a terrific finish. It's another classic Chardonnay from this estate that does everything right. While I'd lean toward drinking bottles over the coming 4-5 years, I'm sure this will hold for longer.
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In 1969, brothers Bob & Steve Miller, the fourth generation of a Central Coast California farming family, found a piece of land they instantly knew had vineyard potential. Formerly used for grazing, it was part of one of the earliest Spanish land grants. However, the shale soil and unique climate from the transverse mountain range provided a lens into its potential.
The vineyard was planted in 1973. Bob and Steve called it Bien Nacido, meaning “well born” in Spanish, because of the passion and commitment they shared in bringing it to life.
All the wines are naturally fermented, with no sulfur additions until after malolactic has completed. The wines are never filtered or fined, and only the selections which represent the best expressions make it into the bottles.
The original adobe on the property remains as one of the few privately maintained adobes in California.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.