2021 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley
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Tasting notes
Matured for 16 months in 40% new French oak, the 2021 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard is rustically styled, with scents of smoked cranberries, briary fruit, pipe tobacco and underbrush. The medium-bodied palate has a dense core of earthy fruit, gently rustic tannins, soft bursts of acidity and a savory finish. It takes on some brighter citrus and floral character as it spends time in the glass, so give it a year or two in bottle or a couple of hours in a decanter.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Bien Nacido Vineyard offers up scents of rose petal, mint, cedar, blood orange, pipe tobacco and dried herbs. Aromatic and yet poised, with tons of understated depth, the 2021 is super-impressive. Bright acids propel the finish effortlessly. What a gorgeous wine this is.
Moving to the reds, the 2021 Pinot Noir was raised in 45% new barrels and reveals a translucent ruby hue as well as a gorgeous bouquet of spiced red and black raspberry fruits, leafy herbs, forest floor, and baking spices. Medium-bodied on the palate, it's not the most massive or richest in the vintage, yet its balance is spot on, it has beautifully integrated tannins, and lively acidity. It's a stunning Pinot Noir with so much character. Drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years. Winemaker Anthony Avila continues to fashion brilliant wines from this truly Grand Cru site just outside of Santa Maria.
Usually around 10% whole-cluster fermented with a 3- to 5-day cold soak in open-top fermenters where the wines spend 14–25 days on skins fermenting with a combination of inoculated and native yeasts. Mostly pumpovers and a few punchdowns. Aged for 16 months in 45% new French oak. Unfiltered and usually unfined. Usually not racked before bottling. 650 cases made. Aromas of bright cherry and raspberry fruit. Cherry and raspberry fruit flavours have a bright and cheery aromatic sweetness, and a lovely crystalline clarity. Faint notes of herbs and orange peel enter, but offer grace notes to the purity of fruit. A crowd-pleasing wine with a hint of salinity. (AY)