Timbre Lead Vocals Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014
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Robert
Parker
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Winemaker Notes
Since 2009, we have been fortunate enough to source Pinot Noir from one of the most coveted Pinot Noir vineyards in the country. Continuing the tradition, our ‘Lead Vocals’ Pinot is 100% ‘G block’, one of the own-rooted sections of the vineyard, planted in 1973. The own roots and vine age, seem to create a complexity and stuffing rarely found in American Pinot Noir and, even in a big vintage like 2014, these old vines produced less than 2 tons per acre.
As usual, Bien Nacido delivers intrigue on the nose. The funkiest of our Pinot Noirs, this wine promises layer upon layer of complexity from the outset. On the palate, the wine still has the classic, pretty Pinot Noir elements of strawberry and cranberry, but gets deeper with earthy elements of caraway seed and sous-bois. The oak is more apparent on this wine that our other Santa Maria Valley offerings, with a tantalizing riff of cocoa powder running throughout.
The depth of this wine calls to mind a description of John Coltrane’s style as “sheets of sound,” so the first musical pairing for this wine has to be Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”. The funk of the wine also makes its own case for a musical pairing, so “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars is another great option. Drink Now-2024+.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The winner in this lineup, the 2014 Pinot Noir Lead Vocals is a pretty, juicy, lively Pinot that gives up classy notes of wild strawberries, sappy flowers and hints of passion fruit in its medium-bodied, lightly textured and elegant profile. Pure, elegant and sappy, with lots of vibrancy on the palate, drink it over the coming 4-6 years.
Other Vintages
2013-
Wine
Enthusiast
They source fruit from some of the best vineyards in Santa Barbara County and across the Central Coast, but they don’t own any of those vineyards, so what differentiates their wines from others sourced from the same vineyard sites? There are many factors, from picking decisions to fermentation, oak, when to rack, when to bottle as well as intangible, indescribable elements. The concept is that those intangibles have a big impact and, collectively, they make up the Timbre of their wines.
As a terroir-driven winery, we strive to make wines that are expressive of the places and times from which they came, but inevitably, as winemakers, they are channeling these vineyard sites through their own experiences and adding their own mark, their Timbre, on the resulting wines.
Santa Maria Valley lies mainly in northern Santa Barbara County, with a small portion of it overlapping southern San Luis Obispo County. It is close to the Pacific, and runs east-west, which means warmer air in the eastern end draws cool air off the ocean in the west, and brings it through the valley. This effect, combined with abundant sunshine, lengthens the growing season. The longer growing season leads to long hang time, which promotes both ripeness and optimal acidity levels in grape berries. As early as the 1970’s, Santa Maria Valley was recognized as being a superior source of wine grapes, certainly including Chardonnay and Syrah. But arguably the top variety here is Pinot Noir.
Originally a domain primarily of growers, including the Miller Family of the justifiably famous Bien Nacido Vineyard, this AVA is now home to over 30 wineries. Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir consistently offers full flavors of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, often accompanied by notes of spice, cola, vanilla and earth. They show impressive balance and elegance, as well as great versatility with food.