USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
-- bottle opened at least one hour prior to tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: smells aged; light butterscotch; otherwise smells exactly like I'd expect an aged Chardonnay to smell.
BODY: golden yellow color of great depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: lemon; medium mineral note; tastes aged; 13.5% alc. not noticeable; fantastic acidity; better than the '98 Bien Nacido Chard., which tastes older and not as vibrant. This is a fantastic wine that is perhaps at its peak right now, although there's really nothing to suggest that it's about to start falling apart. This and the '06 Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay were my two favorite Arcadian Chardonnays of the tasting.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
-- bottle opened at least one hour prior to tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: cheesy --- smells like baked potato wedges with parmesan cheese; moderately expressive; smells aged.
BODY: tan-golden yellow color of great depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: tastes aged; good acidity; underbrush; lemon; 13.5% alc not noticeable; seems to be richer, flatter, and less acidic than the '97 vintage of the same, and for those reasons I prefer the '97 to this '98. That said, this is a very nice wine, and I feel it's at peak for my preferences.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a couple hours before tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: buttery and rich with some light oak and mineral tones --- same as it always has been; seems to be evolving at a glacial pace.
BODY: golden yellow color of great depth; medium to medium-full bodied.
TASTE: rich, relaxed fruit -- lemony -- right in the middle of the fat/butter and bracing/tropical styles of Chardonnay; good acidity; wooly mineral; again, this wine presents today just as it always has for me: it's an unabashed California Chardonnay with a healthy dose of acidity lending some lift; alc. not noticeable.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a couple hours before tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: smells very acidic; typical Arcadian SH Chard. aromas, but with a hint of gooseberries; for whatever reason, this reminds me of some Chenins from Vouvray.
BODY: pale yellow color of medium depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: high acidity; gentle oak; mineral; light lemon; tastes significantly younger than the '05 of the same --- in fact, if tasted blind, I doubt I'd identify the '05 and '06 as being the same bottling from different vintages – rather, I'd probably guess different producers. Although this is the best showing from 750mL that I've yet to experience with this wine, I'd nonetheless continue to recommend drinking this out of 375mL for the time being while the 750s continue to rest in the cellar. Multiple recent positive experiences with this wine have me believing that this if my favorite of the Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Chardonnays I've tasted. Excellent.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a couple hours before tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 15 – 20 minutes --
What a treat to try this wine for the first (and potentially last) time! According to the winemaker, this wine is now all but gone from the winery's cellar. This was noticeably riper, or at least more fruity, than the '01 vintage of the same, which I tasted alongside. That having been said, this was still rather easy to drink, as I found it to be medium bodied. On the rich side of Pinot Noir, for Arcadian, but plenty of acidity to balance out the fruit; notes of spice, camphor, and leather added pleasant complicating notes to the mix. This struck me as being in a nice, "relaxed" adolescent stage of its evolution --- *maybe* in its prime drinking window right now, but I wouldn't be shy about waiting another couple years on it, as the fruit seemed to be mostly primary in nature. Atypical for an Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Pinot, but I liked it quite a lot.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a few hours before tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
Nice density of fruit, but not heavy on the palate. Simultaneously purple-fruited (plum) and red-fruited, with some background notes of leather and damp soil. I wish I would have written a better note for this wine because it was one of my favorites of the evening. This wine is in a fantastic spot right now.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened about one hour before tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 10 minutes --
Very earthy and a touch musty; not much fruit on the Nose, and even less on the palate. I think I'm the only one in attendance who didn't love this wine; struck me as slightly corked; a striking example of YMMV.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a few hours before tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
A bit candied on the Nose --- a "cool," "pure" raspberry licorice aroma. Medium-light bodied. Relaxed and red-fruited on the palate; fantastic acidity. Seeing as how this is already sixteen years old, the question isn't if this wine will live to see its twentieth birthday, but rather if it will see its thirtieth. Fantastic, but I think I have a slight preference – right now – for the 2000 vintage of the same, that I tasted alongside.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a few hours before tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
More herbal on the Nose than the 1999 vintage of the same, and a bit darker-fruited than the 1999, which featured some cool red fruits. This 2000, which is drinking very very well right now, is probably my top pick of Arcadian's Pisonis for current consumption, but give it at least a couple more years if you prefer some tertiary flavors in your Pinot. Excellent.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
-- tasted non-blind on Day 3 --
NOSE: pure, red fruits – smells a touch sweet – with a fleck of high-toned orange oil; light oak; still pretty straightforward, but in a tightly packed, rather than simple, kind of way.
BODY: medium to medium-full bodied; dark ruby color of medium-light to medium depth.
TASTE: red-fruited: sweet cranberry, red currant, and cherry; gentle oak; deeply embedded leather aspect that revealed itself only when paired with food (chicken & pasta in a red cream sauce with parm. cheese); long finish of medium intensity; very fine tannins; a bit glossy; 14% alc. not noticeable; great density to the fruit flavors, but not gloppy; medium to medium+ acidity; tastes young --- this must have at least 10 more years before it enters its prime drinking window; this is incredibly delicious, and I'm excited to follow it over the coming years.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- tasted non-blind on Days 1, 2 , and 3 – -- TN from Days 2 and 3 only --
NOSE: smells aged --- moderately vegetal; purple fruit compote; hints of leather and sweet black licorice.
BODY: dark violet color of medium-deep depth, with a hint of bricking throughout; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: Day 2: smoky leather; high acidity; aged purple fruits; some dried herbs with smoky leather on the finish; finish is medium-long and of medium intensity; tannins fully integrated. Day 3: savory; fruit is aged blackberry (jammy); tastes aged; a bit oak-smoky; seems to be in its prime drink window, and, as such, I don't perceive a benefit to holding this any longer; Drink Now.
-- tasted non-blind on Days 1, 2 and 3 -- -- tasting note for Days 2 and 3 only --
NOSE: Day 2: bitter red fruits --- cranberry, crab apple, and some medicinal raspberry; hint of leather and dried herbs. Day 3: very savory and high-toned; hint of Moroccan spices.
BODY: medium bodied; garnet-violet color.
TASTE: Day 2: still tannic, but finally approachable (as opposed to my prev. 3 or so experiences with this wine); a little bit of funk; "dark"; good acidity; 14.1% alc. not noticeable; blackberry and plum. Day 3: plum; less dense than previous days; a bit pruney; drinking well now, but still best to keep Holding.
-- bottle opened approx. 6 hours before tasting -- -- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes –
Incredibly delicious; seems a bit stemmy; black/purple fruits; excellent acid; alcohol not noticeable; a bit "flashy"; drinks well now, but is nowhere near its peak.
1997 Arcadian Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
-- bottle opened at least one hour prior to tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: smells aged; light butterscotch; otherwise smells exactly like I'd expect an aged Chardonnay to smell.
BODY: golden yellow color of great depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: lemon; medium mineral note; tastes aged; 13.5% alc. not noticeable; fantastic acidity; better than the '98 Bien Nacido Chard., which tastes older and not as vibrant. This is a fantastic wine that is perhaps at its peak right now, although there's really nothing to suggest that it's about to start falling apart. This and the '06 Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay were my two favorite Arcadian Chardonnays of the tasting.
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1998 Arcadian Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
-- bottle opened at least one hour prior to tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: cheesy --- smells like baked potato wedges with parmesan cheese; moderately expressive; smells aged.
BODY: tan-golden yellow color of great depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: tastes aged; good acidity; underbrush; lemon; 13.5% alc not noticeable; seems to be richer, flatter, and less acidic than the '97 vintage of the same, and for those reasons I prefer the '97 to this '98. That said, this is a very nice wine, and I feel it's at peak for my preferences.
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2005 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a couple hours before tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: buttery and rich with some light oak and mineral tones --- same as it always has been; seems to be evolving at a glacial pace.
BODY: golden yellow color of great depth; medium to medium-full bodied.
TASTE: rich, relaxed fruit -- lemony -- right in the middle of the fat/butter and bracing/tropical styles of Chardonnay; good acidity; wooly mineral; again, this wine presents today just as it always has for me: it's an unabashed California Chardonnay with a healthy dose of acidity lending some lift; alc. not noticeable.
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2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a couple hours before tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: smells very acidic; typical Arcadian SH Chard. aromas, but with a hint of gooseberries; for whatever reason, this reminds me of some Chenins from Vouvray.
BODY: pale yellow color of medium depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: high acidity; gentle oak; mineral; light lemon; tastes significantly younger than the '05 of the same --- in fact, if tasted blind, I doubt I'd identify the '05 and '06 as being the same bottling from different vintages – rather, I'd probably guess different producers. Although this is the best showing from 750mL that I've yet to experience with this wine, I'd nonetheless continue to recommend drinking this out of 375mL for the time being while the 750s continue to rest in the cellar. Multiple recent positive experiences with this wine have me believing that this if my favorite of the Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Chardonnays I've tasted. Excellent.
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2012 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted a single pour blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: powdery mineral; nutmeg; pickled ginger; lots of warm baking spices on the interesting bouquet here; expressive.
BODY: pale yellow color of medium-light depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: lots of mineral flavor; fantastic acidity; vivacious; delicious; I would love to have some of this in my cellar.
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2002 Arcadian Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a couple hours before tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 15 – 20 minutes --
What a treat to try this wine for the first (and potentially last) time! According to the winemaker, this wine is now all but gone from the winery's cellar. This was noticeably riper, or at least more fruity, than the '01 vintage of the same, which I tasted alongside. That having been said, this was still rather easy to drink, as I found it to be medium bodied. On the rich side of Pinot Noir, for Arcadian, but plenty of acidity to balance out the fruit; notes of spice, camphor, and leather added pleasant complicating notes to the mix. This struck me as being in a nice, "relaxed" adolescent stage of its evolution --- *maybe* in its prime drinking window right now, but I wouldn't be shy about waiting another couple years on it, as the fruit seemed to be mostly primary in nature. Atypical for an Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Pinot, but I liked it quite a lot.
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2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a couple hours before tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
NOSE: high-toned; "cool" aromas of red currant and black currant; medium+ expressiveness; smells awesome.
BODY: medium-light bodied; a little bit of bricking throughout.
TASTE: hint of leather; light oak; XMas spices; "dark" fruits; in a fantastic spot right now; excellent.
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2000 Arcadian Pinot Noir Francesca's Cuvée
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a few hours before tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
Nice density of fruit, but not heavy on the palate. Simultaneously purple-fruited (plum) and red-fruited, with some background notes of leather and damp soil. I wish I would have written a better note for this wine because it was one of my favorites of the evening. This wine is in a fantastic spot right now.
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2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Francesca's Cuvée
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened about one hour before tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 10 minutes --
Very earthy and a touch musty; not much fruit on the Nose, and even less on the palate. I think I'm the only one in attendance who didn't love this wine; struck me as slightly corked; a striking example of YMMV.
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1999 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a few hours before tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
A bit candied on the Nose --- a "cool," "pure" raspberry licorice aroma. Medium-light bodied. Relaxed and red-fruited on the palate; fantastic acidity. Seeing as how this is already sixteen years old, the question isn't if this wine will live to see its twentieth birthday, but rather if it will see its thirtieth. Fantastic, but I think I have a slight preference – right now – for the 2000 vintage of the same, that I tasted alongside.
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2000 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- bottle opened at least a few hours before tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes --
More herbal on the Nose than the 1999 vintage of the same, and a bit darker-fruited than the 1999, which featured some cool red fruits. This 2000, which is drinking very very well right now, is probably my top pick of Arcadian's Pisonis for current consumption, but give it at least a couple more years if you prefer some tertiary flavors in your Pinot. Excellent.
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2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard 93 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
-- tasted non-blind on Day 3 --
NOSE: pure, red fruits – smells a touch sweet – with a fleck of high-toned orange oil; light oak; still pretty straightforward, but in a tightly packed, rather than simple, kind of way.
BODY: medium to medium-full bodied; dark ruby color of medium-light to medium depth.
TASTE: red-fruited: sweet cranberry, red currant, and cherry; gentle oak; deeply embedded leather aspect that revealed itself only when paired with food (chicken & pasta in a red cream sauce with parm. cheese); long finish of medium intensity; very fine tannins; a bit glossy; 14% alc. not noticeable; great density to the fruit flavors, but not gloppy; medium to medium+ acidity; tastes young --- this must have at least 10 more years before it enters its prime drinking window; this is incredibly delicious, and I'm excited to follow it over the coming years.
50, 5, 12, 17, 9 = 93+ (nearly went 50, 5, 12, 18, 9 = 94)
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1999 Arcadian Syrah Garys' Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
-- tasted non-blind on Days 1, 2 , and 3 –
-- TN from Days 2 and 3 only --
NOSE: smells aged --- moderately vegetal; purple fruit compote; hints of leather and sweet black licorice.
BODY: dark violet color of medium-deep depth, with a hint of bricking throughout; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: Day 2: smoky leather; high acidity; aged purple fruits; some dried herbs with smoky leather on the finish; finish is medium-long and of medium intensity; tannins fully integrated. Day 3: savory; fruit is aged blackberry (jammy); tastes aged; a bit oak-smoky; seems to be in its prime drink window, and, as such, I don't perceive a benefit to holding this any longer; Drink Now.
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2005 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max 93 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
-- tasted non-blind on Days 1, 2 and 3 --
-- tasting note for Days 2 and 3 only --
NOSE: Day 2: bitter red fruits --- cranberry, crab apple, and some medicinal raspberry; hint of leather and dried herbs. Day 3: very savory and high-toned; hint of Moroccan spices.
BODY: medium bodied; garnet-violet color.
TASTE: Day 2: still tannic, but finally approachable (as opposed to my prev. 3 or so experiences with this wine); a little bit of funk; "dark"; good acidity; 14.1% alc. not noticeable; blackberry and plum. Day 3: plum; less dense than previous days; a bit pruney; drinking well now, but still best to keep Holding.
50, 5, 13, 17, 8 = 93+
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2006 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
-- bottle opened approx. 6 hours before tasting --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes –
Incredibly delicious; seems a bit stemmy; black/purple fruits; excellent acid; alcohol not noticeable; a bit "flashy"; drinks well now, but is nowhere near its peak.
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