Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Light-bodied but persistent, with a long, taut mineral thread that pierces the core of tea, damson plum, red currant and pomegranate notes, before ending with a splash of savory. A lovely example of the lean, racy style, this is carried deftly by mouthwatering acidity.
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Wine Enthusiast
Terpene-laced aromas of damp herb and forest floor pick up umami-laden scents of dried meat on the nose of this bottling. The palate combines rugged tar, blood sausage and dried-meat flavors with sagebrush and seasoning salts on the savory palate.
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Wine & Spirits
This grows at the Jackson family’s benchland vineyard at Cambria, where a number of wineries source fruit for their vineyard designates. Foxen’s interpretation leads with smoke and crushed flower petals, followed by a crowd-pleasing richness. With air it becomes pure and lifted, still plump but elegant and seamless.
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.