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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Bonaccorsi 2003 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

Not the first time I have had and reviewed a Bonaccorsi Pinot Noir, and although I always think they are stellar, for some reason I am particularly enjoying the 2003 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir tonight.

I decided to try all new recipes for dinner and served it with BBQ red wine flank steak, bulgur/roasted beet/mushroom/red onion pilaf, and a red wine vinegar braised carrot and leek dish. It turned out awesome! (both the food and the pairing)

The 2003 Santa Maria Valley has a dark, dense, slightly cloudy, garnet color in the glass. To me indicating big, lush, savage, fruit. But I should have known better. Bonaccorsi usually leans toward the more elegant side, although the dark fruit is there. It stays true in this case as well.
The nose, sure enough, displays black cherry, raspberry, blueberry, vanilla cola, and notes of dried grass. All powerful but with the recognizable finesse.
On the palate dark raspberry, black cherry, a touch of blackberry and subtle spice. The berries are accompanied by good acidity that keeps the wine lively, and well integrated but still noticeable, on the firmer side, tannins.

This wine definitely makes a statement with its dark and powerful, but more on the elegant side fruit, balanced nicely with proportionate acidity and tannins. All laced with oak.

Find it at...(?) I am frankly not quite sure where to find it. No sources online that I usually use seem to offer it. I paid $35 for it about 3 years ago. If you can get your hands on it now, 3 years later, for under $55-60, I would jump on it and give it a try. This Pinot is definitely worth it.


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Paul Hobbs 2002 Hyde Vineyard Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir

Paul Hobbs 2002 Hyde Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir has a dark dense garnet color in the glass.
The nose shows vibrant dark raspberry, cherry, and vanilla.
The first thing that hits you on the palate is ripe, deep, blackberry, supported by cherry, spice, and a nice vanilla/oak component. The acidity is still going strong and the tannins are smooth and well integrated. The balanced medium to long finish has beautiful, elegant, dark fruit and berries, with a trace of pencil lead at the very end.

I bought this wine in a local wine store, Capitol Cellars, about 3 years ago for $60. After some research at the Internet I come to the conclusion that this wine is hard to get a hold of. I could not find a single store/website that carries it.
It really drinks beautifully at this point and if you can get your hands on a bottle do not hesitate to get it.

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Sofia Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Wine

I have seen this pink little can in the store for a long time and it was finally time to put it in my basket. At $3.99 the Sofia Blanc de Blanc definitely won't empty your wallet.
This sparkling wine is made from Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat. The producer is Francis Ford Coppola (the famous movie director with a winery in Napa Valley) and it is named after his almost equally famous daughter, Sofia Coppola.

It was a little but weird, but on the other hand fun, to pour this bubbly from a can into a crystal champagne glass.

It has a pale straw color in the glass and has a lively stream of bubbles shooting towards the surface.

On the nose it displays sweet pear and gooseberry.

The palate shows pear, sweet white floral, and citrus. It is crisp and fresh.

The first thing that came to my mind both smelling and tasting this wine is Italian Prosecco. It is sweet and vivid in flavor, missing the yeasty and earthy components of a champagne.

This sparkling wine is a fun, refreshing, festive option for that casual spring/summer party and will not brake the bank at $16 for a 750 ml bottle.
Give it a try next time you see it and let me know what you think...

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Stone Corral Vineyard 2005 Edna Valley Pinot Noir by Talley Vineyards

Strolling through Winecask Wine Store in Santa Barbara we saw a bottle of the Stone Corral Vineyard 2005 Edna Valley Pinot Noir produced by Talley Vineyards. We have enjoyed several vintages of their Rincon Vineyard and Rosemary Vineyard Pinot Noir, and having heard about the newer Stone Corral Vineyard, but never tasted it, we just had to give it a try. At $55 a bottle we saved it for enjoyment with a Saturday night dinner.

This wine has a clear, dark garnet color in the glass.
The nose shows floral notes, raspberry, and subtle round oak.
The palate displaying raspberry, restrained cherry, spice and notes of green tea. The fruit persistant and showing throughout the whole palate. Relatively high acidity and tight tannins with a “green” finish.

We really liked this complex, still refined pinot with plentiful fruit that made a statement without being to large or lush. Although very enjoyable right now I would definitely put this away for a year or two as for the tannins to loose the green edge and become more integrated.
Only 2328 bottles were produced of this vintage and you can find it at Wine-Searcher.com form $44.99.

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Nagy2 2005 Garey Ranch Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

I picked up a bottle of Nagy2 2005 Garey Ranch Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir at El Rancho Market in Solvang when I was in Santa Ynez Valley a couple of weeks ago. I was on the hunt for something new to try and this bottle came highly recommended by the “wine guy” that helped me in the store. El Rancho has as lot of wine from local wineries that can be hard to find in other grocery stores/wine shops. This bottle was no exception. The only other place I could find it online was at WanderingDogWinebar.com, located in Solvang, for $32.

The color in the glass; a dark, dense garnet color.
On the nose smoky oak, dark raspberry, blackberry and vanilla.
The palate showing dark cherry, dark raspberry, blackberry and a hint of pencil lead at the very finish.
This is initially a very mouth full and fruit forward wine on the palate that unfortunately goes a little thin on the mid palate and finish. Moderate acidity and young light tannins. Thin finish or not, we still enjoyed this wine and think it is a great effort from Jonathan and Clarissa Nagy.
John Nagy is the winemaker for Byron Winery and Clarissa Nagy is the wine maker for Bonaccorsi Wine (a favorite of mine). I believe this is the first vintage they have made together under their own label Nagy2, but don't quote me. Only 60 cases produced of this Pinot. Hurry up and get one yourself before they are all gone. I think greatness is to be expected from this winery in the years to come…

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