TN: 2012 Arcadian Pence Ranch Pinot Noir

Not quite sure what to make of this wine, unlike any Arcadian I have had before. Extremely pale cranberry color and cloudy appearance. Lots of peppery spruce, underbrush and dusky dark cherry on the nose. Nice texture and some good cherry fruit but kind of sharp acidic bite on the palate that is not altogether pleasant.

Don’t know that label of Arcadian - had not heard of the vineyard. Doesn’t sound like Joe’s classic Arcadian.

Did you give it air, Jud? Maybe needs time? Or your bottle is a little wonky.

From Arcadian website:

2012 Pence Ranch- Pinot Noir

Ruby red. An exotic perfume evokes dark cherry fruits, Asian spices, floral and cola. Slightly opaque showing sediment. Rich and round in mouthfeel. Sweet fruit and focused, offering rich cherry and rose pestille flavors along with exotic notes of star anise and blood orange. Finishes supple and long with resonating flora nuences, gentle tannis and excellent focus.

Thanks for the note, Jud; I think you may be the first on record about this wine.

It may need more time, it certainly seemed disjointed.

Jud,

This vineyard was an anomaly for me. It just didn’t want to settle out and throws a lot of sediment in the bottle. I have found that if you stand it up for 24 hrs prior to opening, the sediment clears the way for a very expressive, delicate and pretty bottle of wine.
I am not a big fan of fining of filtering Pinot Noir but perhaps this may have well been a candidate for such action.

I highly recommend standing it up for a day or more prior to opening and then decanting the wine if you wish. You will have a much better experience then your note above. No need to wait on this its ready to drink now.

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Thanks for chiming-in, Joe. Helpful instructions. [cheers.gif]

Joe - thanks for responding! it had been standing up for a couple of weeks. I have another bottle standing up as well and will try it soon to see if the first was an anomaly. You know how much I love your wines, hence the surprise.

Of note: I forgot Joe had advised to stand-up bottle at least 24 hrs before service, and I didn’t do that with my bottle.

2012 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pence Ranch - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (1/27/2020)
– decanted immediately before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over approx. 3 hours –

NOSE: high-toned; red-fruited; initial moderately strong sulphur note; medium-light to medium expressiveness; “warm”; red currants.

BODY: lots of hazy sediment; ruby color with bricking throughout of shallow depth; medium-light bodied.

TASTE: red fruits – medium-light intensity; high acidity; medium oak; 13.3% alc. not noticeable; seems somewhat thin/lacking stuffing. Enjoyable, but seems to be quicker-maturing for an Arcadian; I liked this more than the score indicates — I did knock it down a couple points for its haziness, bricking, and more-than-usual amount of sediment. Drink Now.

50, 3, 11, 15, 6 = (85 pts.)

Much improved with nearly 3 more years of bottle age since my last tasting note. Stood up for a couple of weeks. Popped and poured at cellar temp. Still quite pale cloudy appearance, but actually darkened up a bit as it sat in the glass. Black pepper, black cherry and a lovely floral rose note on the nose. Nice sweet dark cherry fruit, savory spice and a long finish with a good balance of sweet, spice and acid. Shows once again that patience with Joe’s wines is rewarded.