WTN: 2005 Foxen Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley Santa Barbara Cty, CA.

2005 Foxen Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley Santa Barbara County California. $15 a glass at Endless Vine, Franklin Lakes; $40 a bottle.

Deep red color, deep hue, very good pinot noir aromas with red fruits and black spices, very good fruit and spice tastes with an interesting brambley note, earth, chocolate and tobacco notes, medium mouth feel, very good balance, long interesting finish. Slight EGA. 4*.

This wine would go well with rustic foods -- it was just great with a left over short ribs for example. The brambley note added a very interesting counter-point to the sweetness of the beef.

Notes:

http://www.foxenvineyard.com/

2400 cases
Vineyard: Block 8 – Bien Nacido Vineyard
Clones: Pommard (70%); Dijon (20%); 2A (10%)
Yields: 3.5-4.5 tons per acre
Crush: Whole-berry destemmed into small, open-top fermenters;Two to four-day cold maceration
Innoculation: Assmanhausen; and Bourgone yeasts RC212 and RA17
Barrel Regime: Gravity free-run from fermenters to barrels;100% François Frères; 10 months ageing
Racking: Without oxygen (no pumping)
Bottling: August 7, 2006
Release Date: October 1, 2006

"This wine shows distinctive 'Pinot candy' and spice (Cola nut, cinnamon, cardamom) beautifully layered with notes of strawberry, cherry and sassafras. Supple and velvety in the mouth, this is an elegant wine. Typical of our Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir, this wine displays up front fruit-yet serious and complex at the same time."

Foxen is featured in "John Cleese's: Wine for the Confused" currently showing on the Food Network. Monty Python veteran, wine lover and very funny man, John Cleese, visits Foxen's Dick and Bill and learns about making great Merlot. A DVD was also released. Look for it in stores or in the Foxen Tasting Room. A review of the DVD was featured in USA Today with a great photo of Dick, Bill and John!

[Jenise]

I visited Foxen last summer, Bob, and found their wines all a bit warm and over the top ripe. The difference might be that 05 was a bit cooler overall in California, though I'm not certain that Santa Maria was spared.

Interesting. Maybe that's the "distinctive 'Pinot candy'" note the winery describes.

I didn't find it in this example, though. A bit of bottle variation. Thanks for the feedback.

Regards, Bob

[Jenise]

Interesting. Maybe that's the "distinctive 'Pinot candy'" note the winery describes.

Yes, also the sassafras quality. That comes through in the new releases and is possibly exacerbated in warmer vintages, but with a short bit of bottle age it softens into caramel and toffee flavors. In fact, I thought the 04's had those right off the bat.

2004 was a very ripe vintage....2005 was much more balanced, and many winegrowers along the Central Coast think it may be one of the best .... of course til the next best one comes along.....