Red Wine from Santa Maria Valley

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: The Sololmon Hills vineyard is the most westerly—and thus the coolest—vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley AVA. Vines are 17 years old, planted in ocean floor sandy loam, and the wine was aged for 17 months in 65% new...

jebdunnuck.com, 96 points: Moving to the reds, the 2016 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido is brilliant, with a rare sense of purity and class. Black raspberries, forest floor, spice, and ample salinity and minerality all give way to a vibrant, medium-bodied...

Vinous, 96 points: The 2018 Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard Block 5 is a total knockout. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and sage give the 2018 so many shades of nuance. A dark, somber expression of Pinot comes through loud...

Vinous, 97 points: The 2014 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard The Captain is one of the very finest wines I have tasted from Trey Fletcher and Bien Nacido Estate. Silky, floral and nuanced, the Captain is all finesse. The purity of the...

Vinous, 96 points: The 2018 Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard Block 5 is a total knockout. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and sage give the 2018 so many shades of nuance. A dark, somber expression of Pinot comes through loud...