2014 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (10/17/2017)
What an amazing wine. I have becaome enamoured with these wines and for good reason: The winemaker is one of the most talented, understated, humble and nicest guys I have ever met. Makes it easy? Nope, makes it harder because more is on the line than a ‘note’.
I always do my best to be honest and fair but yet thankfully, this wine makes it easy. Here I go, bear with me. It’s real time.
Nose of ripe strawberries with raspberries, C.Howards gum and orange peel. it’s deft and flamboyant while being brash, bold and focused. This is key: when served at the correct temperature, this is amazingly buoyant and balanced with freshness and class. I hit the temp right tonight and this is the best showing of this yet. Palate shows vibrancy of red fruits with a near ripened strawberry profile but the real story here is the orange peel and mouthfeel. Intense yet relaxed, this checks all the right boxes for me and may even make a contention to be up to the 2015 version, which if you know this wine is something really big. Multi-layered and hi-toned, this shows breed and is just a bit racy, in a good way. Acid is spot on and tannins are focused and pure, this is truly an amazing focused Bien Nacido Pinot, maybe one of the best I have ever had.
I do not know what skills it takes to create such a wine but I do know it is rare to find and should be celebrated and I hope I have done it justice. What you really need to ask yourself is why are you not on Sandler’s mailing list? (94 pts.)
Love Sandler, and Bien Nacido is my favorite from his lineup. Had a 2012 on Saturday - great intensity of red fruit, everything in balance, really a joy overall.
“This is a very serious wine. After the 2015 version I enjoyed a few weeks ago, I wanted to check in on this one. Glad I did. What I learned is to stay away. Deep and dark, this one goes ominously into the abyss in a good way.
Nose of macerated black berries and blackberries with a hint of dark strawberries. Densely pack and multi-layered, this pack a wallop more than usual on this designate. Tannins are complicated and just a wee angular and acidity near spot on. Finish keeps consistent with all I just told you of, this is fragrant and chewy and complicated and beautiful and you better wait a few more. Just sayin’”
By “a few more” did you mean months? I only have one of these. I am super excited to try it after your note but unsure if I should wait a bit. Glad you enjoyed it so much. I love moments like that!
Cracked my last last bottle of this excellent Sandler Pinot:
2014 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (8/24/2019)
This was open and ready for business on the pop 'n pour. My last bottle of this was almost 4 years ago - it was very tight at that point and needed lots of air to show itself. The lovely Santa Maria Valley Pinot fruit was on full display, though I wouldn’t call it “over-extracted” as the previous note suggests. It’s a larger-scaled Cali Pinot for sure, with fleshy mouthfeel, but nothing like a Martinelli or anything like that. I was hoping for a little more development, but this tasted pretty young still. Nose was not particularly expressive either, but I’m nitpicking here, as I enjoyed this very much. (91 pts.)
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I only have one of these. I am super excited to try it after your note but unsure if I should wait a bit. Glad you enjoyed it so much. I love moments like that!