Friday, April 25, 2008

Foxen 2003 Bien Nacido Vineyard - Block Eight Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir


Foxen makes some of our favorite Central Coast Pinot Noirs. We opened a bottle of their 2003 Bien Nacido Vineyard - Block Eight Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir a few night ago, and got to enjoy it close to, or at, its peak.

The grapes are 100% destemmed prior to enjoying five days of cold soak. They then go through whole berry fermentation before being aged in 65% new French oak for 16 months. Finally it is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The result is a Pinot with a clear, dark, ruby red/purple color in the glass.
On the nose; dark raspberry, cherry, vanilla, and earthy components.
On the plate the wine shows of raspberry, cherry, and plum with a hint of spice and vanilla. It is a harmonic, balanced, and concentrated, medium to full bodied Pinot, that receives a lift from the fresh acidity and slight edge to the tannins. Drinks beautifully right now. Unfortunately this was the last bottle I pulled out of our stash...

Looks like it is still available at Vinfolio.com for $42. Check it out if you want to have a sip of this star this spring.

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Just opened a bottle this afternoon and it is absolutely ready to go! Bought some at the tasting "room" and wrote 3 years on the tags. First time I've ever been right on the money. (I'm not able to properly cellar my wines so I adjust for the temperature fluctuations in my estimations. So, could probably stand another year [or two max] at a steady cool?) A beautiful bottle of wine and very well described by Victoria.