Mission Codename Bottled Poetry
We love Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir, and today’s Beckon 2015 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir is one of the best we’ve tried.
Not only is this wine visually striking, it is also a special treat to the other senses. The wine is lively and full on the nose, velvet smooth and oh, so delicious on the palate…
Very aromatic, with a delightful nose of Bing cherry, rose petal, cherry cola, wild mushroom, vanilla, gunpowder, pencil shavings, strawberry, pomegranate and mild sweet spice.
Flavors glide onto the palate, coating it from corner to corner. Flavors abound, with Bing cherry, pomegranate, wild strawberry, black cherry, cedar, sweet spice, gunpowder, wild mushroom and forest floor.
This wine is striking in so many ways. In particular, it is the balance that everyone here at Wine Spies HQ found so appealing. That is, it was the balance of all of the primary pillars that really moved us. From the beauty of the wine in the glass, with its perfect clarity and dark ruby gem hues, to the aromatic nose, with its mix of pure fruit, spice and earthy flavors, to the silky feel that transports the beautifully balanced flavors all across the palate.
Robert Louis Stevenson once said that _“Wine is bottled poetry.” He must have been enjoying a beautiful Bien Nacido Pinot Noir…
Background on the Bien Nacido Vineyard:
The Bien Nacido Vineyard, on California’s Central Coast, was named one of the Top 25 vineyards in the world by Wine & Spirits Magazine.
It was Food & Wine Magazine that called the vineyard one of the Ten best vineyards.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine routinely award 90+ point scores to wines made from Bien Nacido Vineyard fruit.
Bien Nacido is the birthplace of high-scoring, high-dollar wines from Gary Farrell Winery, Longoria, Sine Qua Non, Au Bon Climat, Ojai Vineyard, Paul Lato and Twomey, to name just a few.
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Here’s what the wine press has to say:
94 points - Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast - “Elegant and lush aromas of plum and boysenberry mesh with violets and lavender on the nose of this wine. Earthy tones of mace, cinnamon and crushed gravel enhance the bouquet, while wild berries pop on the palate. Flavor of bay leaf, coffee bean and more lavender ride atop the soft and polished tannins.”
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90 points - Wine Spectator - “Fresh-crushed cherry, raspberry and smoke notes fill this fresh, vibrant style. Minerally midpalate, with fine-grained tannins on the finish of sandalwood and spice. Drink now through 2020.”
What the Winery Says
2015 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir
- Winemaker
- Robert Blue
- Varietal
- Pinot Noir
- Vintage
- 2015
- Appellation
- Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara
- Harvest date
- August 27 – September 5, 2015
- Abv
- 14.2%
- RS
- .60 g/L
- TA
- 6.2 g/L
- pH
- 3.40
- Aging
- 11 months
- Barrels
- French oak