2021 Foxen - Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard
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Tasting notes
A barrel selection featuring a medley of Heritage and Dijon clones planted in 1996, the 2021 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 8 is a highlight among Foxen's Santa Maria Valley offerings. On the nose, it exudes the signature red-fruited, savory, spice-tinged nature of Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir with impressive fidelity. The palate is silky and lifted yet amply concentrated, concluding with a powerful finish that brings together fruit purity, savory complexity and herbal, citrus-tinged refreshment.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Wild strawberries, spice, crushed stone, and some subtle floral notes, as well as some classic marine-like Bien Nacido nuances, emerge from the 2021 Pinot Noir Block 8 Bien Nacido Vineyard, another pure, medium-bodied, finesse-driven Pinot Noir from this team that has tons to love. Slightly more open and mid-weight compared to the Block 43 release, it's beautifully balanced and is all about its complexity and balance.
The 2021 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 8 is a wild, powerful wine. Black cherry, plum, licorice, lavender, dried herbs and mocha are front and center. The more virile, imposing side of Pinot and Bien Nacido comes through loud and clear. There's real substance and textural presence in this ample, resonant Pinot.
The 2021 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 8 is certainly good, with medium-bodied richness and attractive plum and red and black cherry fruit, yet it drops off substantially on the finish. It’s not a match for the top wines from Foxen. I still find the 2020s to be slightly hit-or-miss from this reference point producer in the Central Coast, but the good news is that the 2021s appear to be a step up as well as more consistent.