2016 Foxen Winery Block 43 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley 750 ml

Flipping the Supply-Demand Script with 95-point Bien Nacido Pinot Noir

We first knocked on cellar doors in the Côte de Nuits in the early 1980s, and we were greeted with open arms. Those were tough economic times, and even most esteemed winemakers were graciously receiving visitors. But as years passed and the world economy improved, Burgundy collectors were introduced to the basics of the law of supply and demand. The finest Pinot Noir in the world is made in tiny quantities, just a few barrels at a time. If our memories serve us well (always a question mark these days), the 1978 Roumier Bonnes-Mares was released at $50 per bottle. The 2015 Bonnes-Mares will fetch $1,500!

On this side of the Atlantic, the story is much the same: like the Grand Crus of Vosne-Romanée, California’s top single-vineyard Pinot Noirs are crafted in tiny quantities. Demand always outpaces supply, sending prices through the stratosphere.

But today, we’re happy to flip the script—this Foxen Block 43 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir, from one of America’s undisputed “Grand Cru” sites—is available here for a steal not just compared to Burgundy, but to its local competitors in Napa and Sonoma Coast, where bottles routinely cost three-digits. We can’t increase the supply, so don’t wait to secure this outstanding, 95-point bargain.

Robert Parker’s longtime critic Jeb Dunnuck fell head-over-heels for this Block 43 release in his 95-point review, where he says this “beauty fills the mouth with fruit and displays no hard edges, nicely integrated acidity, and a beautifully pure, balance style.” 

A study in with marvelous structure, the 2016 shows deep berry flavors with gorgeous savory nuances, the 2016 Foxen Block 43 Pinot Noir is the latest version of a wine that has repeatedly been compared to great Burgundy at a fraction of the price.

The key to achieving this Burgundian cut and balance is the site Vinous calls the “most famous of all” within the Santa Maria Valley AVA: the iconic Bien Nacido Vineyard. You may have heard of some of the high-scoring and treasured Pinot Noirs from Bien Nacido producers—Ojai, Au Bon Climat, Presqu'ile, Twomey, Qupé, Bedrock, Tyler, Paul Lato, and of course Foxen. It’s a site that’s been hailed as one of the “Top Grand Cru Vineyards in California” by Wine Enthusiast, named a “Top Five” in all of California by the Wall Street Journal, and ranked as a “best” vineyard in the world by many reputable critics.

Bien Nacido, which traces its history back to 1837, is set in chilly Santa Maria Valley (one of the coldest microclimates in California) at the western edge of the Santa Maria Bench, on alluvial terraces and hills above the Sisquoc River. Summer temperatures are moderated first by morning fog, then by stiff breezes off the Pacific. The soils are deep, comprised of silty clay loam and shale. Foxen’s Block 43 sits at just over 700 feet, planted to Dijon clones, which under Foxen owners' Bill Wathern and Dick Doré, turn on ripeness and concentration in ways reminiscent of young Premier Cru Burgundy Pinot Noir.