Wines from Santa Maria Valley
Bien Nacido 2007 Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah (Santa Maria Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $52
From the vineyard’s choicest blocks. There’s so much going on here, it’s hard to know where to begin. Explosive in grilled meats, blackberries, plum jam, licorice, coffee, chocolate, caramel, black pepper and Chinese 5 spice, yet bone dry, with smooth, rich tannins. Extraordinarily good now, and should develop in interesting ways. Certainly one of the best…
— S.H.
(10/1/2011)
Byron 2008 Nielson Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $34
Silky and velvety soft in the mouth, coating the palate with extraordinary raspberry and cherry flavors, enriched with sweet oak, and spiced with cloves, cinnamon and white pepper. There are even notes of cocoa and orange zest. Yet brisk acidity makes it all clean and vibrant. It’s hard to imagine a California Pinot Noir tasting better than this—and what a…
— S.H.
(11/1/2010)
Au Bon Climat 2007 Santa Barbara Historic Vineyards Collection Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay (Santa Maria Valley)
- $30
Amazingly rich and ripe, defining the Bien Nacido cool-climate style. The grapes hung for a long time in this excellent vintage, getting ripe and balanced, and the wine offers dazzling opulence, while preserving vital acidity. Showcases dessert pastry flavors of pineapples, mangoes, buttered toast, buttercream, meringue and honeysuckle, accented with dusty spices…
— S.H.
(9/1/2010)
Qupé 2007 Bien Nacido Hillside Estate Syrah (Santa Maria Valley)
- $40
A massively rich, ripe, flamboyant wine. Huge in blackberries, cassis, smoked meat, leather, cocoa, pepper and sandalwood flavors that go on and on. Full-bodied, powerful, a hedonist’s Syrah. Near perfect balance of tannins and acids, with integrated oak. Dramatic and ageable, it should develop over the next six years.
— S.H.
(10/1/2011)
Clendenen Family 2007 Le Bon Climat Chardonnay (Santa Maria Valley)
- Online Exclusive
- $50
Seriously good, brilliant in tart acidity even after the malolactic fermentation was completed, giving it a racy grip. Rich in pineapple and lemon tart flavors, yet crisp and elegant. A real beauty that will develop bottle complexity over the next six years.
— S.H.
(10/1/2011)
Belle Glos 2002 Clark & Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley)
- $38
This spectacular Pinot, which defines its South Coast terroir, is a great wine. The extracted fruit is massive, flooding the palate with cherries and raspberries, and the wine is well-oaked. Yet it combines its power with regal grace, which is what Pinot is supposed to do. Finishes with a silky, velvety harmony. Really an eye-opening wine, superb in every respect.
— S.H.
(5/1/2005)
Tantara 2004 Bien Nacido Vineyard Old Vine Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley)
- $45
This is a brilliant wine that defines Bien Nacido, the coast, and California Pinot Noir. There were worries about the heat, but somehow this has ended up balanced, dry and classically elegant, maybe because of vine age; they’re now 36-years- old. Impresses for the power of its cherry pie filling, mocha, rum and cola and spicebox flavors that finish dry and complex…
— S.H.
(12/31/2006)
Au Bon Climat 2006 Knox Alexander Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley)
- $45
The dryness, crispness and overall elegance of this Pinot Noir make it compelling. It’s a miracle how it manages to be so low in alcohol, yet so rich. Dusty Asian spices like nutmeg and cinnamon accentuate flavors of mashed red cherries, red currants, cola and cedar, with a tease of rosehip tea. Shows extraordinary tension. Drink now–2012.
— S.H.
(10/1/2009)
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