1999 Arcadian Pinot Noir Jill’s Cuvée- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/14/2015)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 3 - 4 hours –
NOSE: very high-toned; mature red berry aromas; brown soil; light smoky leather note; hint of bitter orange peel after a couple hours; hint of mineral after 2.5 hours.
BODY: hazy, brick-red color of medium depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: high acid; mature red fruit Pinot flavor; smooth; a bit earthy; hint of dried herbs on the finish which is very long and of medium to medium-strong intensity; gentle stroke of oak; hint of old wood furniture; hint of orange after 2 hours; 13.9% alc. not noticeable; finish is persistent and pleasurable; this is a damn nice wine, and is probably at peak, so I’d suggest Drinking Now; dare I say: this is Burg.-like.
Stop it right now! The only Jill’s I have is the 2007. I did backfill some 2000s, 2001s and 2005s of other designates. Nice to be able to access directly from the winery. When I can, I want to get older wines from other-than-secondary sources. Not that they cannot be good - I have had some good experiences with Blicker and Benchmark. But if they are still available at the winery, that’s where I go first.
Had this wine a few times.
Always been fine to extraordinary.
It’s time to drink this puppy up.
As I’ve opined before, at this time, NO CA Pinot has demonstrated a better ability
to age and significantly improve than Arcadian.
Over the next several years, we will see if Rhys and Ceritas can reach Arcadian’s lofty heights.
IMO, Joe Davis is the Dean of CA Pinot Noir. (and he’s pretty damn good at Chard too)
1999 Arcadian Pinot Noir Jill’s Cuvée- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (1/1/2017)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 1 to 2 hours –
NOSE: tart cranberry/cherry; a touch earthy, with hints of pine, caramel, and pizzelle (anise-flavored Italian cookies); clean; complex.
BODY: medium-light bodied; slightly hazy; some bricking is noticeable.
TASTE: very high acidity; some obvious tertiary development; 13.9% alc. not noticeable; light oak; red-fruited; light oak; hint of fennel root; a bit perfumey; layered; wonderful; at peak; excellent Pinot; gut impression score: low to mid 90s.
No shit, man … that is a very weird fateful coincidence at this point … and with a shared birthday, ta boot! What’s wrong with us?
…
another bottle yesterday: 1999 Arcadian Pinot Noir Jill’s Cuvée- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (5/6/2017)
Brought this to a friend’s birthday dinner. Cork was crumbly, just as with the last bottle of a few months ago. No fanfare whatsoever when opening the bottle — it was just “a Pinot from 1999,” as far as anyone else at the table knew. The wine was roundly praised by all present wine drinkers, and for good reason. Very similar, if not identical, to previous bottle — that tasting note is good for this bottle, too. Seems to be at peak. Worthy of back-filling directly from the winery for at least the next two years (amazing that Arcadian has so many well-aged wines available for direct purchase!)