August 2006 Wine Tasting Notes: 2004 Pinot Noirs.
2004 Foxen Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley.
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Deep garnet color. The nose is robust with earthy aromas of tobacco, raspberry, cherry and light oak. The mouth is bold with hard spice and red fruits. Medium bodied with light oak vanilla notes and smooth tannins. Spice takes front stage to the flavors of strawberry and cherry. The finish also displays lots of spice, cherry and strawberry. The high alcohol content does not overpower this highly extracted wine. |
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RWB Score: 92 breakdown 15.4% Alcohol $46.00 Retail (from winery); 300 cases produced |
A highly extracted, plush, bold and notably spicy pinot noir but not deficient in fruit. Earthy and spice notes dominate throughout. This is a great companion to barbecue and spicy dishes. |
More Foxen reviews
Detail
This wine was aged 16 months in 66% new, lightly toasted, Francois Freres Fench oak barrels.
This wine is made entirely of the Pommard clone, sourced from the Julia's Vinayard on the Cambria Estate in the Santa Maria Valley. There is lots of fruit typical of this clone (strawberry and cherry) but no meaty flavor and the fruit dominates here. here but not the Both produce great stand-alone wines. The Pommard clone tends to give strawberry and cherry flavors (occasionally with a meaty or gamey edge - not present in this offering)
Named for one of the the family's two daughters, Julia's Pinot Noir vineyard lies in the coolest section of the family-owned 1,400 acre Cambria Estate. Situated on the floor of the valley, grapes in Julia's Vineyard mature evenly, producing velvety-textured Pinot Noir.
Bill Wathen makes wines which express terroir and does not impose stylistic elements outside of his wine making methods. He prefers to let the vineyard speak for itself. This is part of the Foxen philosophy of a "hands-off" approach to making vineyard-designated wines.
Foxen Winery was founded in 1985 and is closely tied to this region of Santa Barbara County. Co-owner Dick Doré is the great-great grandson of William Benjamin Foxen - the English sea Captain who purchased the Rancho Tinaquaic lands in 1837. This area initially encompassed most of Foxen Canyon and was the site of some military action in 1846 during the Mexican War. On Christmas 1846, Foxen warned American forces of an impending ambush, allowing them to take Santa Barbara without bloodshed and leading to California being ceded to the United States. Currently 2000 acres of the original 9000 acre land grant remains in the Doré family hands.
The winemaker at Foxen is co-owner Bill Wathen. He has over thirty years of experience making wine. He graduated from Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Fruit Science, specializing in vineyard management. His first jobs were working with two of Santa Barbara County's pioneers: Dale Hampton and Louie Lucas. He has worked as vineyard manager at Chalone Vineyard. There, he learned traditional French winemaking techniques under the tutelage of Dick Graff, another California wine pioneer. He returned to Santa Barbara County in the early eighties and, along with long-time friend Dick Doré, founded Foxen.
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5 points |
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Nose |
5 points |
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Palate |
5 points |
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Finish |
4 points |
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Tannins |
5 points |
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Acidity |
4 points |
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Alcohol |
4 points |
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Aging potential |
2 points |
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Overall quality |
9 points |
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