Palate
This vineyard, given its coastal influence, produces a wine with freshly picked strawberry, bing cherries, cloves, and spice, aromas and flavors. But still has a balance of acidity and a finish that lingers of sweet tobacco and spices.
Growing Conditions
Bien Nacido is a well-known vineyard in the Santa MariaValley. On a bench that overlooks the SisquocRiver, this highly-esteemed vineyard is quite large and has numerous slopes and aspects. Bien Nacido, literally Spanish for “Born Well”, is one of the vineyards in Santa Barbara where Steele Wines purchases Pinot Noir grapes. Many of the most prestigious wineries in California purchase grapes from this vineyard. Our favorite block for the single vineyard wines is “N-Block” which gives the most intense fruit.
Bottling
We usually bottle the wine in December of the following year, so at a minimum the wine spends 12 months in French Oak.
Winemaking
Fermentations are carried out with as little manipulation as possible. We use a gentle crusher, one short pump-over per day and cool soak the grapes prior to the onset of fermentation.
Aging
Our aging program is always in French Oak barrels which are heavily toasted during the bending of the staves.
Food Pairing
The rich fruit of this wine will compliment fillet steaks grilled over grape cuttings, or a seared Ahi tuna steak.
