2022 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir
Bien Nacido Vineyard is the most "Burgundian" in style of the Pinot Noir vineyards from which we source fruit. In a vintage like 2022 where concentration is a hallmark characteristic, the lighter wines in our portfolio tend to show a more serious side we don’t usually see. This is the case for the 2022 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir. Although it is the newest (to us) Pinot vineyard we work with, it is quickly becoming one of our favorites. This vintage has all the hallmarks that Bien Nacido is known for - nori, iodine, and being light on its feet - but with slightly darker fruit characteristics and slightly more weight.
- 93 points: Wine Enthusiast
The grapes were hand-harvested at optimal ripeness. They were then hand-sorted and destemmed. We cold-soaked the grapes for 3 days to extract color, after which fermentation began spontaneously. Daily pump-overs and punch-downs were performed for cap management. When the fermentation was dry, the grapes were pressed and put into 30% new French oak barrels plus 70% neutral barrels to age. The wine was racked 5 months after harvest to assemble the cuvee, then returned to barrel for another 12 months. We bottled this wine in June of 2023, unfined and unfiltered.
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Varietal | Pinot Noir |
| Appellation | Santa Maria Valley |
| Vineyard | Solomon Hills |
| Designation | Solomon Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir |
| Harvest Date | 09/22/2021 |
| Aging | 17 months, 30% new French oak |
| Alcohol | 13.50% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 06/22/2023 |
| Cases Produced | 130 |
| Country of Origin | UNITED STATES |
| State of Origin | California |
