Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Perfumed and earth-driven with notes of rhubarb, potpourri and incense on the nose leading into red cherries, chestnuts and almond skin on the palate. Weightless yet expansive and complete. A definitive showing of this site, and sadly, the final vintage based on the original 1973 plantings which have now been removed. 35% whole cluster fermentation and 18 months in 20% new barrique.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido has a bigger core of dark fruit as well as lots of briny minerality, peppery herbs, and forest floor aromatics. Fermented with 35% stems and aged in just 30% new French oak, it just about screams Bien Nacido and is a great example of this vineyard. With plenty of structure, good acidity, and a great finish, it's going to hit prime time with 3-4 years of bottle age and evolve for over a decade.
-
Wine & Spirits
This tiny-production pinot is briary and pretty, with aromas of smoke, sea wrack and wild strawberry. The fruit elements—strawberry and raspberry—are concentrated and framed in fine tannins; for game.
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.