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Ships ONLY to addresses in CA, ID, IL, IA, MN, MO, NM and WV. Sorry!
Tasting Notes
A number of famous pinot noirs are produced with grapes bearing the "Santa Maria Valley" appelation. Among the vineyards in this area, perhaps the most famous is the Bien Nacido Vineyard from which these grapes came. Bien Nacido pinots tend to be ripe and lush.
But Winemaker Ariki Hill produces a Bien Nacido pinot unlike the others, this wine is made in a style I prefer to many of those more highly touted by the wine press. Hill has a more nuanced approach to his wines, especially as they age. I don't know what it's going to take to get these amazing wines the credit they deserve, but for now I encourage you to take advantage of the low prices - these wines are seriously under-valued!
Food Pairings: The elegance of this wine suggests dishes of a similar nature. But it would be a shame to save it for that one "perfect" meal, only to find it 20 years from now, a wrinkled old Krone. Perhaps the perfect solution is to open it along with our grilled portobellow mushroom recipe (email me and I'll send it to you - Dave@SidewaysWineClub.com) which features two things pinots love to partner with - mushroom and bright acidic sauces!
When I met Riki and his wife, Lane Tanner, at their shared production facility, Lane was painstakingly stirring barrels, one after the other, while Ariki and I looked on (equipment shortage prevented us from lending a hand!) After chatting for about 20 barrels-worth of stirs, Ariki invited me inside to taste his wines.
We first compared his White Hills Pinot with his Bien Nacido pinot, and then he went to open a bottle of his pinot from the Yarra Valley. After an enjoyable discussion and a few samples of wine, he then said "I've got something I think you'll enjoy", and left to get what turned out to be a bottle of his 2000 Bien Nacido pinot.
I swirled and sniffed and my eyebrows went up (no, I don’t play poker so don’t ask). Then I tasted, and tears came to my eyes. Literally. It was that good. If you like this wine, buy several bottles and lay them down for the next 4-7 years!
About the Winemaker:
Winemaker Ariki Hill worked under the tutelage of some of Central Coast's greatest pinot producers before launching his first California pinot in 2000 and then his Australian label in 2002. Riki knew pinot at an early age, growing up in the New Zealand pinot country. But his pinot career came about through a number of key encounters with wines that literally rocked his world, and launched a mid-life career change.
SKU: LAB-PN-BN-05C