2003 PINOT NOIR BIEN
NACIDO
Santa Maria Valley
2003 was a bit like 1995
for pinot noir in Santa Barbara County. The crop was extremely
small and the ripening very uneven. We were faced with the unappetizing
choice of eliminating the less ripe fruit from an already small
crop, or suffer the consequences of having a lower quality wine.
We chose the first option, of course.
After two unusually hard,
tannic vintages (2001+2002) that need time to develop in the bottle,
this one is quite a shock. It is fabulously complex and utterly
delicious to drink even right now. I gave a bottle of this wine
to a cousin of mine, and she remarked that now she understood
what all the hoopla regarding pinot noir was all about. It was
a nice compliment, and illustrates that this wine impresses even
now.