Thanks to an invite from a good friend to take his 2 seats, we recently attended a charity auction dinner at Industrial Eats, a fine eating establishment in Buellton, CA. This was part of an auction lot for a Santa Barbara County Vintners Association event over 2 years ago, but due to Covid delays, it finally got set up. Unfortunately, the date conflicted with other plans and he could not go
The event was hosted by the Foxen Winery who supplied magnums of some of their fabulous wines and as usual, I took a couple of wines to share.
While being served an assortment of some of their signature small appetizers, salads, flatbreads and desserts, we enjoyed reconnecting with lots of good friends and drinking some fine wines:
2008 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC- i pulled this with the intention of tracking where it is at this time as most previous bottles have been way too tight and discombobulated while searching for some semblance of balance; it was a good move as its nearing that place and this bottle was the best one yet; the last one I opened was in late 2020 and as with that one, it was not nearly as huge, big and clumsy as those before it and actually has settled down a bit more, but still needs some more evolution; the acidity level is much more subtle and the flavor profile is much more inclusive with honey and ginger accented lemon, lime, apple, kiwi and strawberry guava fruit; the intense steak of spice is now in the background and even the feel component was not as creamy, but still had nice viscosity; it’s getting closer to nirvana.
2000 AU BON CLIMAT CUVEE ISABELLE PINOT NOIR- this bottle was selected to take to this event to celebrate dear friend, Jim Clendenen, who passed over a year ago and is one of the iconic, now legendary, winemakers in Santa Barbara County; a few other winemakers who got their start a few years later on were in attendance, but the most important person there for this wine was Isabelle, Jim’s daughter; so, it was extra special to share some of the wine with her and it showed beautifully; made from some of the best parcels of some of the best vineyards in SB County, this blend showcased its Pinot Noir fruit with bright flavors of blueberry, black raspberry and blackberry nicely accented with a streak of spice; it was medium to full bodied and seemed to expand and improve over time; wondrous juice in its prime now and a great tribute to the then 5 year old Isabelle.
2018 FOXEN ERNESTO WICKENDEN VINEYARD OLD VINES SANTA MARIA VALLEY CHENIN BLANC in magnum- I`ve often said over the years that Bill Wathen, a part owner/ principle winemaker for Foxen is one of the most underrated winemakers in California and I still feel that way; one fabulous wine Bill has made for decades now is this one and it has been consistently spectacular as evidenced once again by this bottle; from vines planted in 1966, this was highlighted by its bright acidity and a taste profile of lightly spiced apple, pear, lemon and grapefruit that was delivered in its usual soft and creamy textured medium all the way through to the back end; it had depth and complexity and finished on an upbeat; savory wine here, one that gets your attention resulting in oohs and aahs.
2018 FOXEN BIEN NACIDO VINEYARD BLACK 8 SANTA MARIA VALLEY PINOT NOIR in magnum- from an iconic part of an iconic vineyard, this wondrous Pinot Noir featured marvelous aromas and tastes of fresh and ripe blueberry, black cherry and blackberry, nicely accented with forest floor and wet earthy tones; it had a lovely mouthfeel, enough depth to entice for more exploration and an overall complete sensory pleasing experience.
2018 FOXEN FE CIEGA VINEYARD STA RITA HILLS PINOT NOIR in magnum- I was seated next to Foxen part owner, Dick Dore, who Ive known since the beginning of the winery and he mentioned this vineyards fruit would be taking over as the top Pinot Noir in their lineup; the vineyard was planted by Rick Longoria in 1998 and lies at the western end of the appellation, a great place for cool climate Pinot Noir; Rick sold it in January 2021 to another one of the highly esteemed local winemakers, Adam Tolmach {Ojai Vineyard}, who has been sourcing fruit from it since 2003; this vineyard is grated over to Dijon 115, Dijon 667 and Mt. Eden & Pommard clones; for this wine, the 115 was 90% whole berry destemmed and the other 2 were whole-berry destemmed in small, open-top fermenters as individual clonal lots; as is there MO, the wine was unfiltered and unfined; it had a dark ruby color and aromas of spicy, violets and anise laden blueberry, black raspberry and red plum; all continued on to be joined by a subtle hint of minerality and blackberry; it was full bodied and yet very soft and easy on the palate; it had serious depth and its long, pleasant finish sealed the deal; this is a winner now and a headliner down the line.
Cheers,
Blake
