2001
PINOT NOIR BIEN NACIDO
Santa Barbara County
Since the installation of Chris Hammell as the Bien Nacido vineyard
manager in late 2000 huge changes have occurred in vineyard practices
here, which have led to exciting changes in the wines. In our
tiny area at the east end of Q block, we were able to get Chris
to heavily manicure the vines, which resulted in a smaller but
much better crop. The 30 plus year-old vineyard has been adapted
to a vertical upright trellis but needs a lot of hand work to
achieve uniformity in ripening. Chris is willing to commit the
time required to pay attention to this and other details, enabling
us to make a better wine.
In 2001, we yielded a mere two tons of fruit to the acre, but
I think the low crop and its evenness had a dramatic impact on
quality. This is our best all-around effort yet with pinot noir.
Tightly structured, yet harmoniously balanced, this wine is approachable
an hour after decanting yet will continue to develop over the
next several years. Yes, it is subtle, but that's why it's so
special.