Santa Maria Valley

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Winemaking is a slow process and learning the craft even slower so it’s great to be able to tend the same vines in the same block year after year
as we have at Bien Nacido. I first worked with my section of I Block chardonnay back in 1988 and have been bottling it here at The Ojai Vineyard since 1991. This has given me the chance to really get to know the block and to make changes in the growing and winemaking to best capture the unique characteristics from this vineyard.

Since 2000 we have made this wine entirely in older French oak barrels. New barrels impart lots of oak character that clouds the distinctiveness of the vineyard and also makes chardonnay heavier and less food friendly. And since 2009 our rows have been grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Here we aim for low yields and careful farming to bring out the best from this site.

Blend: 100% Chardonnay | Alc: 13.5% | Vinification: Barrel Fermented in Neutral French Oak | Barrel Aging: 10 Months | Total Production: 417 cases

Press Reviews

Antonio Galloni’s Vinous

“The 2014 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard is a very pretty, classically restrained wine from this famed Santa Maria site. White flowers, orchard fruit, mint and white pepper are some of the signatures, but, above all else, it is the wine’s sensual, inviting texture that takes things to another level.”- AG 93 Points

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“A medium-bodied, juicy and elegant white from the team at Ojai, the 2014 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard offers masculine notes of mulled apples, salty minerality, citrus and mint.”- JD 91 Points