Hedonistic pinot tasting - Arcadian with Joe Davis

Tasted Thursday, February 17, 2005 by Greg W with 1,183 views

Introduction

Attended a tasting of Arcadian wines at a local wine shop, with Joe Davis present. I've had only the Santa Lucia Highlands pinot from Arcadian, which I thought was an excellent wine at an excellent price. I've also observed all the "hedonistic" vs. "old school" debates, and, not really believing that you can only like one "style," thought it would be interesting to taste with one of the so-called "old school" producers of CA pinot to see what all the fuss is about.

Sidenote: wines were presented in the order below. Interesting that the chardonnays were presented after the reds.

Flight 1 (11 Notes)

  • 2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Lafond Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

    Fairly light colored. Open nose of dark fruits. On the palate, more dark fruit - very tasty, somewhat elegant style - I really like the acidity in the wine. Nice, balanced finish. Drinking really well right now.

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  • 2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Medium in color. Open nose - chocolate, sour cherries, cola - lots of fruit. On the palate, lots of fruit, lots of spice. Nose filling finish - tannins just a little bitter.

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  • 2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Medium color. Very subdued nose - not showing much at this point. On the palate, interesting note of cinnamon, along with notes of sour cherries. Medium finish - smooth and tasty.

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  • 2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

    Light/medium color. Open nose - spice and cherry notes. A little subdued on the palate, lots of acidity - very elegant and very tasty. Medium finish. I really liked this wine - seems like it has lots of time left to improve as well.

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  • 2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Jill's Cuvée 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    Medium color. Great nose - very open, with lots of fruit showing. On the palate, lots of fruit, lots of acidity - I really like the balance between the two. Notes of sour cherries and chocolate. Great finish - balance carries through to the end. Really enjoyed this wine.

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  • 2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Francesca's Cuvée 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Darker in color than previous wines. Very different nose as well - a little subdued, but what's there is brighter (?) than the previous wines. Not a typical Pinot Noir nose. Very serious wine. Needs time, but the fruit and acidity is definitely there. Actually opened up in the glass - notes of cherries and chocolate. Longer finish. Tough wine to judge - overall really good, but will likely improve as well.

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  • 2000 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Brickish color. Coffee grounds and dark fruit on the nose. Similar notes on the palate: coffee grounds, cherries. Very tasty - smooth, strong balanced finish. Favorite wine on the flight so far.

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  • 2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Dark, brickish color. Completely different nose from '00 version - more cinnamon and spice. Very similar flavors on the palate - great texture and balance. Powerful, tasty finish. Another really good pinot.

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  • 2001 Arcadian Syrah Robert O. Fleming Cuvée Garys' Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Monterey

    Very dark purple in color. Open nose of plums, pepper, chocolate, with similar open notes on the palate. Strong, balanced finish. Very tasty.

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  • 2000 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Notes are very brief at this point. In fact, all I wrote down was: a little oak, powerful, notes of vanilla - very tasty - yum.

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  • 2001 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Notes even briefer at this point. Only note was: yum!

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Closing

After making it through the wines, the clear conclusion was that every single wine was excellent. That was the consistent theme, along with the texture and balance of all the wines. Although they had a similar profile from a balance perspective, all the different vineyards were distinctive, making the tasting that much more enjoyable. As a side note, it's hard not to be positively influenced by Joe's passion for his wines - it was fun listening to him talk about the winegrowing side and the winemaking side.

As far as the "hedonism" debate goes, I must be missing something. I've always thought of hedonism as the pursuit of pleasure. I'd pursue the opportunity to taste these wines any day - seems pretty hedonistic to me. The fact that they might get better with time makes it more intriguing, and I'm looking forward to tasting them with more age, but it was pretty damn pleasurable tonight.

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