2018 Bien Nacido Estate, The Captain, Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, California, USA
Critics reviews
Baked fruit and vanilla aromas. Broad palate with plummy fruit balanced by a fresh and lively acidity.
Drink 2021 - 2029
Ronan Sayburn MS, James Doidge, Sarah Knowles MW, Decanter.com
Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the 2018 Pinot Noir has a spicy, complex bouquet of redcurrants, mulberries, autumn leaves, iodine, and underbrush. With beautiful balance, medium to full body and a great finish, it's a gorgeous Pinot Noir from this estate to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years.
Drink 2020 - 2028
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (August 2020)
About this WINE
Bien Nacido Estate
Located in the Santa Maria Valley of California's Central Coast, Bien Nacido Estate has a rich history dating back to the early 1970s when it was founded by the Millers, a farming family. The name "Bien Nacido" translates to "well born" in Spanish, reflecting the region's fertile soil and favourable climate.
More specifically, the vineyard is situated in the northern part of Santa Barbara County, which benefits from the unique maritime influence, with cool breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean moderating temperatures and extending the growing season.
The terroir of Bien Nacido is characterised by its well-drained soils, predominantly made up of gravelly loam. Combined with the cool climate, this provides ideal conditions for growing premium wine grapes, particularly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, along with other varietals such as Syrah and Nebbiolo.
The vineyard management at Bien Nacido strongly emphasises sustainability and environmental stewardship. Practices such as organic farming, water conservation, and habitat preservation are prioritised to ensure the land's long-term health.
Santa Barbara County
At the foot of the Central Coast, just north of Los Angeles, the Santa Barbara County reverberates with its Missionary past, although viticulture as we know didn't arrive here until the 1970s. Now there are 6,000 ha of world class Pinot Noir & Chardonnay.
While fog banks shape the season, together with a notable rainfall deficit between May & November, elevated terraces such as Bien Nacido in the Santa Maria Valley AVA faciliate premium fruit growing. Santa Ynez Valley AVA enjoys similar trait, though cooler still;
Recommended Producers:
Au Bon Climat's Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay from the region's Santa Rita hills is a prime example. Qupe are another excellent source
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the 2018 Pinot Noir has a spicy, complex bouquet of redcurrants, mulberries, autumn leaves, iodine, and underbrush. With beautiful balance, medium to full body and a great finish, it's a gorgeous Pinot Noir from this estate to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years.
Drink 2020 - 2028
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (August 2020)
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