So I consider Bien Nacido to be one of the Holy Grail vineyards in Cali. The first impression of this is a lovely floral note, I can't quite define it, maybe roses, orange blossoms, violets? The body is mouth filling and completely smoothe with a honeyed finish. No earthiness going on and none of the chalky minerality character of other Sta Maria Pinots. This reminds me more of Sonoma Cty Pinots that are usually very pretty. Though this does have more body to it. I'm assuming the family kept a bit of the cream of the crop for this offering. I've been told that is the case when owners offer their own bottlings. I don't have another BN Pinot to compare it with currently. A second night revisit leads me to recommend this as best consumed in a night. Deducted 1 point for that.
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Med body effort with cherry flavors muted by wood. More weight than complexity, which is not what I look for in pinot. Not bad, just not inspiring. It's a long way to Burgundy from here.
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Enjoyed this one... What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in elegance. Had black cherry, black tea and cranberry with some earthy undertones. Nice balance, silkiness and good length were the overall highlights.
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4/3/2015 - tonepad wrote: 90 Points
So I consider Bien Nacido to be one of the Holy Grail vineyards in Cali. The first impression of this is a lovely floral note, I can't quite define it, maybe roses, orange blossoms, violets? The body is mouth filling and completely smoothe with a honeyed finish. No earthiness going on and none of the chalky minerality character of other Sta Maria Pinots. This reminds me more of Sonoma Cty Pinots that are usually very pretty. Though this does have more body to it. I'm assuming the family kept a bit of the cream of the crop for this offering. I've been told that is the case when owners offer their own bottlings. I don't have another BN Pinot to compare it with currently. A second night revisit leads me to recommend this as best consumed in a night. Deducted 1 point for that.
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7/24/2012 - Redguy wrote: 85 Points
Med body effort with cherry flavors muted by wood. More weight than complexity, which is not what I look for in pinot. Not bad, just not inspiring. It's a long way to Burgundy from here.
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3/8/2012 - DLCampbell wrote: 89 Points
Enjoyed this one... What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in elegance. Had black cherry, black tea and cranberry with some earthy undertones. Nice balance, silkiness and good length were the overall highlights.
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6/5/2011 - ksteiner wrote: 93 Points
Balanced and excellent.
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5/29/2011 - rwatkin wrote: 84 Points
Very disappointing. The tasted like pinot only on the finish. Too monolithic and one dimensional.
I wonder what happened
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