TN: 2000 Arcadian - Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard (USA, CA, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands)

2000 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (11/8/2014)
– decanted for approx. 30 min. before initial taste –
– tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 1 hour –

Man-oh-man is this wine in a very good place right now! Wonderful red-fruited aromatics are complicated with floral and mineral nuances. High acidity. 13.4% alc. not noticeable. Red-fruited with a moderate mineral streak. Elegant. Benefited from air exposure, and continued to improve in the glass. Not funky or ashy (which surprised me, given that I usually get those aspects from Arcadian’s Pisoni bottling) — rather, very clean. Seems to be just entering its prime drink window, which I reckon will stay open for a long time. Excellent wine. Gut impression score: mid 90’s.

Ooh…love some aged Arcadian Pisoni!
Very nice note, Brian.
This and the '97 Pisoni remain pinnacle CA Pinot to me.
So good.
Cheers.

I do not think I have had this one.

Fellow Berserker Steve Brown and I shared a 2002 Francesca last night, and it was borderline. 3 of us agreed on this. We had started with a Rhys 2010 Horseshoe that Steve had brought, and it, too, was borderline. We left half bottles of each on the table. The restaurant comped corkage for me, so it was not as if we were searching for value on the list nor for a price to pay to pull the cork. Delightful service, but as far as the wines: they were what they were.

I am still an Arcadian cheerleader. More great experiences with this label than any wine this year. Copain is up there, as well, particularly with their Brousseau and Las Laureles Chardonnays.

I received a polite reminder this afternoon that I had happily enjoyed a bottle of this 2000 for my birthday at the end of August. Now I know which one you are talking about! It was absolutely gorgeous, in a wonderful place, and was enjoyed at a long, leisurely lunch at Bouchon in Yountville, Napa Valley.

You are correct: not funky, very well-integrated, lovely fruits and floral aspect. Yes, I remember now.

So Merrill, it seems like the only less than stellar Arcadian Pinot you’ve had was the one we opened on Saturday? D’oh!

We can try again, Steve. That root day stuff can be some serious **** .

2000 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (3/19/2016)
– 2 hour decant before tasting –
– tasted non-blind over approx. 1.5 hours –

Pleasant, fragrant Nose; primarily red-fruited, with complicating aspects of soil and aged leathery fruit. High acidity. 13.4% alc. not noticeable on the palate. Red-fruited; very smooth; clean; drinking beautifully, but perhaps not yet at its peak. Solidly excellent wine.

Nice notes. Its funny, I don’t think I’ve ever had an Arcadian pinot noir that I thought was on the downhill slide. I’ve got a lot of CA wines that I worry that they are going to peak before I get to them. Not Arcadian.

2000 arcadian is drinking so nice right now. I’ve gone through 3 btls of the francesca in the last couple of months and they still will develop for awhile longer.

2000 Francesca’s is killer. If I weren’t on a buying hiatus right now I would have jumped to get some more during the recent GCS deal.

Opened one of these 2000 Pisonis last night. Nose of subdued, woodsy strawberry. Mouthfeel is lush and full, nearly silky. Still plenty of vibrant acidity. nice long finish. As it opens, it reveals notes of mushroom and earth.

My uneducated guess is that this bottle is near peak, which I define by the amount of integration apparent. However, I don’t think it is sliding downhill. This bottle was a well-stored gift.

Thanks for posting this, tracking a couple bottles of early-mid 2000’s Arcadian Pisoni’s on the net, really want to get a couple of these. Have an '06 Pisoni left over from Berserker Day last year, should have went grabbed more but had no tasting experience then, flash forward a year later I’m anxious to see what there offer will be.

Thanks for the update.

Jason

I have an 07 Pisoni on deck to check on it tonight and see where it is. Have a couple of 01 Gary’s and Sleepy Hollows left that are terrific. 01 was certainly a great vintage for Arcadian and they just keep getting better and better. No 2000’s left for me.

2000 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (7/30/2020)
– decanted 1 hour before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –

NOSE: expressive; red-fruited; not bretty, but here is some earthy/aged Pinot funk lurking; medium-light pecan/tawny note.

BODY: dark garnet color with slight bricking throughout; color is of medium-deep depth; {forgot to note wine’s weight}

TASTE: yummmmmm … possibly in the perfect spot right now; seems to be half primary and half tertiary … holy smokes! … this is so alluring right now; no perceptible tannin or alcohol; high acidity; earthy; red-fruited; kind of NSG-like, but more elegant/refined than your stereotypical NSG; hint of old wooden furniture; calmly spectacular. Drink Now - 2025.

50, 5, 13, 18, 9 = (95 pts.)

That’s some serious props Brian, thank you. Still have a bit left for sale if anyone is interested.

PM sent