I was blown away by these new Pinot Noir releases from Foxen, and they re up near the top of the vintage. - Jeb Dunnuck

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1 Robert Parker August 2014 I was blown away by these new Pinot Noir releases from Foxen, and they re up near the top of the vintage. - Jeb Dunnuck Points Chardonnay, Block UU - Bien Nacido Vineyard Tasted as a barrel sample, the 2013 Chardonnay Block UU Bien Nacido Vineyard has outstanding potential with its pineapple, citrus, lime peel and seawaterlike aromas and flavors flowing nicely to a medium-bodied, focused and racy style on the palate. Barrel-fermented and aged on its lees, it should drink nicely for 4-6 years after release. Drink Points Pinot Noir, Block 8 - Bien Nacido Vineyard 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. Drink Points Pinot Noir, Block 43 - Bien Nacido Vineyard More burly and masculine, with ample dark fruits, toast, mineral, licorice and spice, the 2012 Pinot Noir Block 43 Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley is a big-boned, structured effort that will be better with another year of cellaring. As with the Block 8, this was completely destemmed before spending 17 months in 33% new French oak. I like the tannin quality here, as well as the purity of fruit, and it should drink nicely through Drink Points 2012 Pinot Noir, Fe Ciega Vineyard The 2012 Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills is clean and classy, with notions of cassis, toasted spice, toasted bread and hints of earth giving way to a rich, full-flavored, yet elegant and layered profile on the palate. Completely destemmed and aged 16 months in 40% new French oak, it s a beautiful Pinot Noir that shows classic Sta. Rita Hills character, and will drink nicely for 7-9 years. Drink

2 94 Points Pinot Noir, Julia s Vineyard Another stunner by this team, the 2012 Pinot Noir Julia s Vineyard Santa Maria Valley comes from the shale and loam soils of the Cambria Estate vineyard and spent 17 months in 40% new French oak prior to being bottled un-fined and unfiltered. It offers a supple, medium-bodied and lightly textured feel to go with pretty red fruits, spice, underbrush and toasty qualities that continue to change in the glass. Possessing gorgeous purity, no hard edges and a forward, precocious, yet oh so classy style, enjoy this rock-star effort over the coming 4-5 years. Drink Points - Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vineyard The 2012 Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills is a beautiful effort that spent 16 months in 33% new French oak prior to being bottled un-fined and unfiltered. Showing notions of cherry pits, framboise, mint and spring flowers, it flows onto the palate with a rich, seamless texture, outstanding purity of fruit and a nicely focused, layered finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. Completely destemmed, it shows the prettier side the variety, and will shine for 5-7 years. Drink Points Pinot Noir, Melville Vineyard The most feral and wild in the lineup (which is common from this vineyard), the 2012 Pinot Noir Melville Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills boasts fantastic notes of plum, cherry pit, crushed flowers, leather and tinges of pepper to go with a medium-bodied, seamless and elegant style on the palate. Seeing one-third whole cluster inclusion during fermentation and 16 months in 40% new French oak, it needs another year to settle in, and will have upward of a decade of longevity. Drink

3 Robert Parker September 2013 "This was a classy, character filled lineup of wine by the folks at Foxen"- Jeb Dunnuck 90+ Points Chardonnay, Block UU-Bien Nacido Vineyard Just bottled and a beautiful, mineral-driven effort that boasts aromas of white peach, white flowers, subtle toast and baking bread, the 2012 Chardonnay Block UU- Bien Nacido Vineyard is medium- bodied, juicy and lively on the palate. This all-around classy, lean and focused Chardonnay has outstanding depth and length, and will have 4-6 years of prime drinking. Drink now Points Pinot Noir, Melville Vineyard Showing the masculine, gamey quality of the vineyard, the 2011 Pinot Noir Melville Vineyard offers up loads of spice, white pepper, ground herbs and underbrush as well as relatively firm tannic spine that should flesh out over the coming 2-3 years. Gaining more finesse and elegance in the glass, it's impressive and should evolve beautifully for a decade or more. Drink Points-2011 Pinot Noir, Sea Smoke Vineyard The 2011 Pinot Noir Sea Smoke Vineyard is a beauty. Deeply colored, with a meaty, earthy undercurrent of decaying leaves and forest floor, it shows the dark side to Pinot fruit as well as a salty, sea breeze-like quality that comes through with air. Lively and pure on the palate, with bright acidity and firm structure, it is a serious effort that should be given 2-3 years of bottle age and consumed over the following 7-8 years. 92 Points Pinot Noir, Block 8-Bien Nacido Vineyard More structured and broad, with a big frame that should fill in with another year or 3 in the cellar, the 2011 Pinot Noir Block 8- Bien Nacido Vineyard has the crushed rock-like minerality that's a hallmark for the vineyard as well as notions of white pepper, dried underbrush and spice-laden red fruits. Mediumbodied, firm and tight, it should have a graceful evolution through Drink Points Pinot Noir, John Sebastiano Vineyard The 2011 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard gives up a big meaty and masculine profile, with surprising ripeness to the fruit. Black cherry, decaying leaves, currant, leather and even hints of licorice all show here and has a rich layered mid-palate and sweet tannin. It, too,should drink nicely for a minimum of 5-6 years. Drink now Points Pinot Noir, Julia's Vineyard Moving on to the reds and a medium bodied, elegant and finesse-driven 2011,

4 the Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard offers a brilliant bouquet of forest floor, autumn leaves, crushed flowers and primarily red-slanted fruit. Silky, finely constructed and already supple and approachable, it should drink nicely for 5-6 years. Drink now Points Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vineyard More red fruit-driven, with a core of sweet cherries, dried leaves and forest floor, the 2011 Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard has a Burgundian savoriness on the palate (a character of the vintage) with ripe tannin and solid edge. The acidity pokes out slightly here, yet it's still outstanding. Drink it over the coming 5-6 years. Drink now Points Pinot Noir, Block 43- Bien Nacido Vineyard Loaded with spice, underbrush, sweet red and black cherries, forest floor and hints of leather, the 2011 Pinot Noir Block 43- Bien Nacido Vineyard has a layered, sweetly fruited profile on the palate with solid tannic grip coming through on the finish. Not quite as structured as the Block 8, it will drink beautifully over the coming 7-8 years. Drink now Points Cuvée Jeanne Marie, Williamson-Doré Vineyard Looking at their Rhone blends, the 2011 Cuvée Jeanne Marie is a blend of 78% Grenache and 22% Mourvedre that spends 16 months in 2-3 year-old-barrels. Coming from high-density planting and clay soils, it offers up a lush, sexy profile with kirsch, licorice, toasted spice and leather flowing to a mediumbodied, sweetly fruited palate. Seamless, balanced and straight-up delicious, it should have a minimum of 4-5 years of prime drinking. Drink now Points Syrah, Williamson-Doré Vineyard Ripe and meaty, with loads of black fruit, licorice, olive paste and green peppercorns, the 2011 Syrah Williamson-Doré Vineyard is 100% Syrah that spent 16 months in 60% new Hungarian puncheons. medium-bodied, rich and supple on the palate, with lively acidity and a great finish, it, too, should contine to shine through Points foxen 7200 Cabernet Sauvignon, Vogelzang Vineyard More complex and interesting, the Foxen 7200 Cabernet Sauvignon Vogelzang Vineyard is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 22 months in 100% new French oak. Medium-bodied, juicy and with ripe tannin and building richness, it offers solid Cabernet character with plenty of darker fruit, mint, wild herbs and spice. There's an exotic quality here that's slightly hard to define, yet it contines to show more classic aromas and flavors with air. It should have over a decade of prime drinking. Drink

5 Wine Advocate- August Points FOXEN Pinot Noir, Block 8-Bien Nacido Vineyard "The 2010 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 8 is another super-impressive wine from Foxen. It combines some of the ethereal feel of the Julia's with the wieght of the Sea Smoke. If that sounds appealing, believe me, it is. This is a marvelous Pinot loaded with class and finesse. The Bien Nacido Block 8 (along with the Julia's) is one of the least expensive of the 2010 Pinots, yet i find it the most compelling of the bunch. Anticipated maturity: " 93 Points FOXEN Pinot Noir, Julia's Vineyard "The 2010 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard is an attractive, mid-weight Pinot bursting with energy and sheer class. Dark red cherries, mint and spices are some of the notes that merge as the Julia's shows off its pedigree and pure class. There is good juiciness and inner perfume, but this remains a finessed style of Pinot built on length and minerality. Anticipated maturity: " 93 Points FOXEN Pinot Noir, Sea Smoke Vineyard "One of the unquestioned highlights among these new releases, the 2010 Pinot Noir Sea Smoke Vineyard is beautifully layered from start to finish. RIch dark cherries, smoke, mocha, savory herbs and spices come to life in this multidimensiional, stunning Pinot. There is a level of depth in the Sea Smoke that is flat-out breathtaking. The integration of fruit and oak is superb. Anticipated Maturity: " 93 Points foxen 7200 Cabernet Sauvignon, Vogelzang Vineyard "On the other hand, the 2009 Caberent Sauvignon Vogelzang Vineyard is gorgeous. Dark cherries, plums, menthol, graphite, grilled herbs and spices explode from the glasss as this boisterous, deeply expressive Cabernet Sauvignon shows off its personality and sheer class. The 2009 boasts fabulous richness and depth from start to finish. I imagine this exciting, viscerally thrilling Cabernet Sauvignon will drink beautifully for a number of years. Anticipated maturity: ". 92 Points FOXEN Syrah, Toasted Rope "There is plenty to like about Foxen's 2010 Syrah Toasted Rope, the most successful of the 2010 Syrahs. A gorgeous, expressive bouquet leads to dark red cherries, plums, mint, roses and tobacco as this gracious wine opens up in the glass. The addition of 16% Viognier gives the Toasted Rope a gorgeous upper register of aromatics that completes the wine nicely. Anticipated maturity: " 91 Points FOXEN Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vineyard "Foxen's 2010 Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vineyard, from a site in the Santa Rita Hills, is a bigger, bolder wine than the Julia's. It possesses gorgeious depth and richness, but the tannins aren't as refined as I had hoped. The French oak

6 barrels (60% new)mark the wine to a considerable degree. Hits of tar, smoke and licorice add complexity on the finish. Anticipated maturity: " 91 Points-2010 FOXEN Cuvée Jeanne Marie "The Grenache-based 2010 Cuvée Jeanne Marie is another compelling wine from Foxen. The sweet, floral infused red fruit of Grenache is the dominant element in this racy, medium-bodied Rhone blend. Ideally, the 2010 is best enjoyed over the next few years, while the fruit retains its juiciness. Hints of mint, tobacco and cedar add complexity as the wine opens up. In 2010, the blend is 64% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 16% Mourvedre. Anticipated maturity: " Points-2011 FOXEN Chardonnay, Block UU-Bien Nacido Vineyard "A wine of significant potential, the 2011 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Block UU (from tank) is cool and beautifully focused, with lovely purity in its aromas and flavors. Flowers, lemon peel, crushed rocks and spices are layered into the energetic, polished finish. Anticipated maturity: " Points FOXEN Chardonnay, Tinaquaic Vineyard "The 2011 Chardonnay Tinaquaic Vineyard wraps around the palate with sensual layers of fruit. This is a slightly richer, more textured style than the Bien Nacido, largely owing to much lower yields in the vineyard. Honeysuckle, orange blossom, mint and spices flow through to the creamy finish. Anticipated maturity: " 95 Points FOXEN Syrah, Tinaquaic Vineyard The 2009 Syrah Tinaquaic Vineyard is a big, imposing wine yet it also possesses marvelous balance. It shows stunning inner perfume and generous dark fruit, all supported by big, powerful tannins. I would not be surprised to see this wine age gracefully into its second decade of life. It is simply fabulous. The Tinaquaic Vineyard was aged in French oak barrels, 80% new. Anticipated maturity: A.G 94 Points FOXEN Syrah, Williamson-Dore Vineyard The 2009 Syrah Williamson Dore Vineyard(includes 5% Viognier) sweeps across the palate with layers of beautifully delineated dark fruit. White flowers, licorice and blueberries come together in this graceful, restrained wine. The supple, silky finish is quite attractive, yet this comes across as needing at least another year in bottle for all of the elements to fully harmonize. The Williamson-Dore spent 16 months in 500 liter Hungarian oak barrels, 50% new. Anticipated maturity: A.G 94 Points FOXEN Cuvee Jeanne Marie The estate's 2009 Cuvee Jeanne Marie is a blend of 54% Grenache, 23% Syrah and 23% Mourvedre that spent 16 months in French oak barrels ranging from 2-4 years of age. It is a deceptiveily medium bodied wine laced with crushed

7 flowers, licorice, leather, wild herbs and cherries. The Jeanne Marie is exciting, yet understated, with dazzling purity and a long, seamless finish. Anticipated maturity: A.G Wine Advocate-Robert Parker- August Points-2008 FOXEN Chardonnay, Bien Nacido Vineyard- "Steel Cut" The non-oaked 2008 Chardonnay Steel Cut has beautiful notes of mango,lime, and lemon zest. A naked wine with full body and loads of tropical fruit and character, this is a brilliant idea. I dont know why more California wineries don't pursue this style of Chardonnay. I suppose this is Foxen's answer to Greg Brewer's Diatom Chardonnay project, which is also a stainles steel fermented and aged, naked Chardonnay. Drink it over the next 3-4 years. 94 Points FOXEN Pinot Noir, Sea Smoke Vineyard The 2008 Pinot Noir Sea Smoke Vineyard has a dense ruby/purple color that is much more saturated than the Julia s Vineyard, with beautiful raspberry and boysenberry notes as well as some spring flowers in the background. A fullbodied, pedal-to-the-metal style of Pinot Noir, with beautiful fruit, texture, and length, this is a super, almost bigger-than-life Pinot to drink over the next 7-8 years 93 Points FOXEN Chardonnay, Bien Nacido- Block UU Far superior is the 2008 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard Block UU. This is a seriously endowed effort displaying notes of lemon and orange blossom, spice, and subtle background earth, medium to full body, plenty of minerality and acidity, and a long finish. Drink this impressive Chardonnay between now and Points FOXEN Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard-Block 8 The 2008 Pinot Noir Vineyard Block 8 has a dark ruby/purple-tinged color and more black cherry, smoke, and earth in the aromatics. It is slightly broader and more savory, in a fuller-bodied, richer style than the Block N, but only marginally so. This is another big, deep wine, and in the portfolio of Foxen Pinots, the second biggest and richest wine of the 2008s. Impressively endowed, it should age nicely for 5-7 years. Bravo! 92 Points Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard-Block N The 2008 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Block N is slightly lighter ruby-colored than the Sea Smoke, with loads of roasted herbs, berry fruit, cherries, and smoke in the aromatics. With medium to full-bodied flavors, this lush wine is undeniably seductive and rich, but it is not as concentrated as the Sea Smoke. Yet on the charm meter, it scores extremely high. This is Pinot Noir at its most endearing, and it should drink nicely for another 5-7 years where well-stored

8 90 Points Pinot Noir, Julia's Vineyard The 2008 Pinot Noir Julia s Vineyard is dark ruby, with a peppery, spicy nose of incense and red cherry fruit. A fleshy, medium to full-bodied wine with loads of berry fruit, earth, and spice, this is a distinctive Pinot Noir that cuts a broad swath across the palate, but remains elegant and pure. Drink it over the next 3-4 years. Wine Advocate-Robert Parker- Issue 184- September Points-2007 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills "Select Smoke"Sea Smoke Vineyard The 2007 Pinot Noir Sea Smoke Vineyard "Select Smoke" reveals a similar dark ruby/purple-tinged color along with stunningly concentrated flavors that represent the essence of this varietal(forest floor, spice box, black cherry liquer, flowers and subtle smoke). A colossal beauty of elegance, complexity and power, with a gorgeously concentrated., multidimensional, textured, rich full-bodied style, it should age for a decade or more. 92 Points-2007 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, Sea Smoke Vineyard The sensational 2007 Pinot Noir Sea Smoke Vineyard exhibits a creamy, concentrated smoky, black currant, and black cherry-scented perfume with notions of earth and spice in the background. It is a meaty, rich impressively concentrated, full bodied, elegant, complex wine that only hints at its ultimate potential. A beauty, it is another excellent example of the potential that exists in the Santa Rita Hills. 91 Points Pinot Noir, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard The 2007 Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard possesses a medium dark ruby color with less saturation than several of it's siblings, and a big, upfront, forward, spicy, smoky nose revealing notions of black fruits, flowers and earth. It cuts a broad savory swath across the palate, and along with the Julia's, is the most evolved and seductive for current drinking. Enjoy this hedonistic, sexy Pinot over the next 5-6 years. 90 Points Pinot Noir, Julia's Vineyard The most seductive at present is the 2007 Pinot Noir, Julia's Vineyard, a dense ruby/purple tinged effort offering sweet aromas of kirsch, black fruits, and forest floor. It displays a broad, full-bodied, velvety mouthfeel as well as good underlying acidity that provides uplift and vibrancy, but the overall impression is one of a silk glove. Drink this beauty over the next 4-5 years. 90+ Points Pinot Noir, Bien NacidoVineyard Block 8 Slightly more challenging to evaluate, but loaded with potential is the 2007 Pinot Noir, Block 8, Bien Nacido Vineyard. A dark, ruby color is followed by a distinctive bouquet of earth, graphite, black cherries, and black currants. Medium to full bodied, and more tightly wound than the Julia's Vineyard with

9 good acidity as well as an earthy, spicy character, it will benefit from another year of bottle age, and should drink well for 8-10 years. The Wine Advocate, Robert Parker-June 2008 issue 2006 Cuvee Jeanne Marie Proprietary Red The stunning, sexy 2006 Cuvee Jeanne-Marie (a blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 15% Mourvedre) offers up gorgeous aromas of roasted Provencal herbs, ground pepper, sweet, smoky game and meat, and copious quantities of black cherries and black currants. The expressive aromatics are followed by a pure, lush, succulent, hedonistic, medium to full-bodied red with considerable complexity, purity, and depth. Drink this beauty over the next 4-5 years. I hope readers have recognized how gorgeous the Foxen wines have been over the last five or six years. Their individuality and distinctiveness as well as high quality are evidenced in their newest releases. Kudos to Foxen for producing these four brilliant efforts! 2006 Syrah - Tinaquaic Vineyard 92 points From: Santa Maria Valley Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA Drink: The inky/ruby/purple-hued 2006 Syrah Tinaquaic Vineyard behaves like a Santa Maria Syrah rather than a $500 bottle of Cote Rotie or $300 bottle of Hermitage. It exhibits classic Syrah characteristics of camphor, smoked herbs, sweet bacon fat, and creme de cassis. Broad, rich, flavorful, and deep, it is only slightly less complex than its siblings. Enjoy it over the next 7-8 years. I hope readers have recognized how gorgeous the Foxen wines have been over the last five or six years. Their individuality and distinctiveness as well as high quality are evidenced in their newest releases. Kudos to Foxen for producing these four brilliant efforts!" 2006 Syrah - Toasted Rope Rating: 95 points From: Santa Ynez Valley Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA Drink: Even more brilliant is the Cote Rotie look-alike, the 2006 Syrah Toasted Rope. A blend of 85% Syrah and a whopping 15% Viognier (an hommage to Guigalâ s Cote Rotie La Mouline?), it reveals exotic lychee nut and honeysuckle characteristics interwoven with notions of sweet cassis, kirsch, and licorice.

10 Medium to full-bodied with fabulous concentration, a velvety, voluptuous texture, and superb length, this is an amazing effort from the Santa Ynez Valley. Anticipated maturity: now I hope readers have recognized how gorgeous the Foxen wines have been over the last five or six years. Their individuality and distinctiveness as well as high quality are evidenced in their newest releases. Kudos to Foxen for producing these four brilliant efforts! 2006 Syrah - Williamson Dore Vineyard Rating: 93 points From: Santa Ynez Valley Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA Drink: The 2006 Syrah Williamson-Dore Vineyard is reminiscent of a northern Rhone Hermitage. Aromas of black olives, crushed rocks, creme de cassis, and graphite are present in this full-bodied, dense, chewy, concentrated Syrah. With excellent acidity, sweet tannin, and a stunning finish, it should provide immense pleasure over the next 7-8 years. I hope readers have recognized how gorgeous the Foxen wines have been over the last five or six years. Their individuality and distinctiveness as well as high quality are evidenced in their newest releases. Kudos to Foxen for producing these four brilliant efforts! 2004 Pinot Noir - Sea Smoke Vineyard Wine Advocate Rating: Rating: 96 points (August 2006) From: Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA Drink: From the Santa Rita Hills appellation, the 2004 Pinot Noir Sea Smoke Vineyard s ruby/purple color as well as its intense, glorious perfume of sweet kirsch, black currants, flowers, and underbrush suggest a wine built for the long haul. Tremendous opulence, richness, and intensity in addition to a dazzling finish with great flavor precision emerge from this riveting Pinot Noir. One of the finest Central Coast Pinots I have ever tasted, it can be consumed over the next decade. As the back label says, this wine was bottled delicately... without fining or filtration. Bravo to proprietors and winemakers Bill Wathen and Dick Dore Pinot Noir - Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 8 Wine Advocate Rating: 93 points (August 2006)

11 From: Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA Drink: Dramatic is the stunning 2004 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block Eight. One of the finest Bien Nacido examples I have ever tasted. Offering up notes of licorice, sweet black cherries, herbs, currants, and spice, this full-bodied, powerful yet delicate, intense yet finesse-filled beauty is stunningly rich, layered, and complex. It should drink well for 5-7 years. As the back label says, this wine was bottled delicately... without fining or filtration. Bravo to proprietors and winemakers Bill Wathen and Dick Dore Pinot Noir - Julia's Vineyard Wine Advocate Rating: 92 points (August 2006) From: Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA Drink: The 2004 Pinot Noir Julia s Vineyard offers sweet black cherry and currant fruit, a broad, expansive palate, and tremendous opulence as well as length. It is a hedonistic, authentic tasting, full-bodied, velvety-textured Pinot to enjoy over the next 3-4 years. As the back label says, this wine was bottled delicately... without fining or filtration. Bravo to proprietors and winemakers Bill Wathen and Dick Dore Syrah - Williamson Doré Vineyard Wine Advocate Rating: 92 point (August 2006) From: Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA Drink: The inky/blue/purple-hued 2004 Syrah Williamson Doré Vineyard boasts classic southern France-like notes of roasted herbs, sweet and sour cherries, blackberries, loamy soil, pepper, and incense. It is full-bodied and superbly concentrated, with great intensity, moderately high tannin, and enough glycerin, flavor, and fruit to back up its impressive structure. It should drink well for a decade or more Cuvee Jeanne Marie - Williamson Doré Vineyard Wine Advocate Rating: 90 points (August 2006) From: Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA Drink: The most forward and lush offering here is the 2004 Cuvee Jeanne Marie, a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre. Sweet dark cherries interwoven with notes of white chocolate, earth, and pepper emerge from this full-bodied

12 wine. Exhibiting outstanding purity of fruit as well as sweet tannin and a broad, savory, nicely textured and nuanced mid-palate and finish, this long, authoritative red can be drunk now and over the next 5-6 years. These Pinot Noirs Live Up to the Hype by Robert Parker Download Full Article PDF Thanks to the 2004 movie Sideways, pinot noir has become absurdly popular. Truth be told, most of this wine, whether domestic or imported, is of little interest and often overpriced. The following wineries' pinot noirs, however, display the true glories of this grape. All are from the 2004 vintage in California's Santa Rita Hills, the wine country northwest of Santa Barbara where the film takes place. Foxen Vineyard Sea Smoke Vineyard 96 points. This pinot noir's ruby/purple color and its intense, glorious perfume of sweet kirsch, black currants, flowers, and underbrush suggest a wine built for the long haul. Tremendous opulence, richness, and intensity in addition to a dazzling finish with great flavor precision result in one of the finest Central Coast pinot noirs I have ever tasted. It can be enjoyed over the next decade. $64