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: 2012 Foxen "Bien Nacido Vineyard - Block 8" Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

2012 Foxen "Bien Nacido Vineyard - Block 8" Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

SKU #1175431 94 points Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark The 2012 Pinot Noir Block 8 Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley is pure class, with fabulous purity of fruit and an elegant, seamless style. Exhibiting notions of sweet red fruits, crushed flowers and sweet spice, it shows the suppleness of the vintage, yet has solid richness, a layered, balanced feel and a terrific finish. Completely destemmed and aged 17 months in 50% new French oak, it’s an awesome Pinot Noir to drink over the coming 5-8 years. I was blown away by these new Pinot Noir releases from Foxen, and they’re up near the top of the vintage. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same with regards to the Rhone blends, and these had superficial, mid-weight profiles geared for near-term drinking. As to the Bordeaux blends, these come from the eastern most AVA in Santa Barbara County and are labeled under the Foxen 7200 label. (JD) Inner quote mark (8/2014)

92 points Int'l Wine Cellar

Outer quote mark (50% new oak): Deep red. Explosively perfumed, sexy aromas of red and dark berries, incense, rose oil and cola, lifted by a smoky topnote and a hint of allspice. Stains the palate with lively black raspberry and cherry-cola flavors that become firmer and spicier with air. This silky, seamless pinot finishes with excellent clarity and length and sneaky tannins. (JR) Inner quote mark (12/2014)

92 points Vinous

Outer quote mark The 2012 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 8, from one of the highest and steepest parcels on this site, is beautifully perfumed, vibrant and expressive. Graphite, violets, blueberries and mint are all laced together in a supple, lifted Pinot loaded with class and personality. The 2012 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 8, from one of the highest and steepest parcels on this site, is beautifully perfumed, vibrant and expressive. Graphite, violets, blueberries and mint are all laced together in a supple, lifted Pinot loaded with class and personality. (AG) Inner quote mark (6/2014)

92 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark One of Foxen’s block designates from the historic property, this offers scents of purple flowers, black soil and sharp dill. It’s quite smooth once sipped and not very complicated, but with fresh raspberry and brown spice. (MK) Inner quote mark (12/2014)

Burghound

Outer quote mark The ripe, fresh and cool aromas speak of plum, violet, various spice elements and a hint of exotic tea. There is fine volume to the delicious and attractively textured medium-bodied flavors that possess a lush and velvety mouth feel, all wrapped in a palate coating finish that exhibits a mild tang. While the balance isn't perfect the complexity carries the wine at present. Inner quote mark (4/2015)

Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark This red is pure, rich and well-focused on a core of earth-laced blackberry and blueberry flavors, with a touch of dried herb and black licorice, ending with a long, full finish that's supported by chewy tannins. Drink now through 2022. (JL) Inner quote mark (9/2014)

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2012 Foxen "Bien Nacido Vineyard - Block 8" Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

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Varietal:

Pinot Noir

- One of France's most legendary grapes and the grape that earned Burgundy its reputation. The parent of varietals like Pinot Gris/Grigio and Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir is blue to violet to indigo in color with relatively thin skins, and it is said to have been cultivated in France for more than 2,000 years. At its best, Pinot Noir creates elegant wines that are filled with primary red fruit aromas and flavors while young, revealing with an array of secondary characteristics like earth, smoke, violet, truffle and game with age. The varietal is also known, perhaps better than any, for its ability to translate terroir, or a sense of place. While the best Pinot Noir still comes from Burgundy, it is being produced with increasing success in cooler climates around the world. In France, it is part of the trifecta of grapes that can go into Champagne, and it is also grown in Alsace, Irancy, Jura, Savoie, Lorraine and Sancerre. Outside of France it is produced under the names Pinot Nero and Blauburgunder in Italy's mountainous regions, as Spätburgunder in Germany and as Blauburgunder in Austria. In the US, Pinot Noir has found suitable growing conditions in the cooler parts of California, including Carneros, the Russian River Valley, the Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Barbara County, as well as in Oregon's Willamette Valley. In recent years, New Zealand has demonstrated its ability to interpret this hard-to-grow varietal, with successful bottlings coming from careful and attentive growers in Central Otago, Martinborough and Canterbury. Chile is also an up-and-coming region for Pinot Noir, creating fresh, fruit-forward, early-drinking and affordable Pinots from the coastal Casablanca Valley and the Limari Valley.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Santa Maria/Santa Barbara

- Santa Maria and Santa Ynez make up the two AVAs of Santa Barbara County, an area known for its natural beauty and temperate climate. The best grape-growing areas, however, are located on the very coastal reaches of these two appellations, and are cooled by ever-present fog and ocean breezes (it is even cooler and foggier here than Carneros!). As expected, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir thrive while the more inland zones lay claim to Bordeaux varietals and some Rhône blends.

Alcohol Content (%):

13.8