Home Wine U The Buzz Wine Reviews   Review Archive   Rating System Calendar Fun Stuff About Us Key Contacts Search FAQ Links		January 2007 Wine Tasting Notes: 2005 Consilience Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley. Deep, dark ruby in the glass. The nose starts with lightly floral aromas, backed by vanilla and brown spice. Prominent notes of coffee and mocha soon develop. Rich cherry aromas assert themselves with some aeration and mingle with brown spice, particularly cardamom. The palate continues the cherry theme backed by mocha and elaborates it with strawberry and floral notes of rosehips. Soft but well formed tannins, good acidity and hot but not entirely overpowering alcohols make for a medium body and a plush, velvety mouthfeel. Cherry and strawberry continue on the medium finish. RWB Score: 92 breakdown 16.4 % Alcohol $38.00 Retail (from winery);        485 cases produced This 2005 Pinot Noir exemplifies the convergence of  the hallmarks of the essences of Consilience and Bein Nacido: a very fruity and highly extracted wine with lots of sweet brown spices and a surprise of mocha in the middle. The mocha and coffee notes come out unexpectedly out of left field and enrich the whole composition. The trademark Bien Nacido spice builds steadily and stays through the whole bottle. This is a better balanced offering than the Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. A great social wine, it could also pair well with grilled meats and other well-seasoned dishes over the next 5 years or so. Detail   More Consilience reviews More on Santa Maria Valley 100% Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard. Aged 10 months in 100% neutral French oak. For those that have not seen “Sideways”, Pinot Noir, the noble Burgundian grape, is often described as "difficult" to grow but the wine is beautiful and complex when circumstances are favorable. It is one of the oldest grape varieties to be vinified. Pinot Noir is, in fact, genetically unstable and its spontaneous mutations have given 46 identified clones in France alone. Worldwide estimates range from 200 to 1000 clones. Additionally, Pinot Noir is very susceptible to frost at budbreak, pests, fungal and viral infections. The tiny (~60 square miles) Côte d'Or in Burgundy, France has been the benchmark for Pinot Noir for centuries. It is believed that the east-facing slopes of Burgundy make for optimal sun exposure without excessive heat and the chalky, well draining soils retain heat – all of which assist in ripening. In California, it does well in Carneros and the Russian River Valley regions of the Sonoma AVA in the north. In the Central Coast, Monterey County (the Pinnacles and the Santa Lucia Highlands) and the Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills produce outstanding Pinot Noir. It is often described as delicate and light bodied and having a soft texture. The aromas and flavors are the most distinct and identifiable and most complex of all varieties. Common fruit aromas are: cherry, raspberry, ripe tomato and strawberry. It can express floral notes of rose or violet. Spice is a big element of Pinot Noir: cardamom, caraway, cinnamon, cola, clove, nutmeg, pepper, rosemary and sassafras. Some also describe a peppermint quality. It can also show aromas and flavors that some sources place in the herbal category: beet, black olive, green tomato, green tea, oregano and rhubarb. Other elements found in Pinot Noir are earth (moist earth), barnyard, mushroom and truffle. In addition leather, meat (raw or grilled) can also be seen. Pinot Noirs rarely have the make up to last past a decade but with age they can show oak characteristics as well as tobacco and smoke. The Bien Nacido Vineyard is one of Santa Maria Valley’s oldest commercial vineyard sites, tracing its roots back to 1837. It also bears one of the most formidable reputations. Fruit from this 800 + acre vineyard is sought out by many wine makers and many of the county's premiere producers have their own blocks in the vineyard. Bine Nacido Vineyard is also one of the major viticultural nurseries for certified varietal budwoods. On the grounds of the vineyard are two wine making facilities: one is shared by Qupe and Au Bon Climat and the other to Tantara Winery. The 2005 year saw an increase in crops over the preceding years. The year is being compared to the acclaimed 1997 vintage because of a very long and generally cool growing season without heat spikes. This long season resulted in extended hang times in even temperatures which gave the fruit good extraction but lower sugar levels. The slow ripening of the fruit is expected to make for elegance and balance in the wines of this vintage. Another cause of buzz in the wine world has been the promise of lower alcohol levels. However, the finished wines reflect wine making skill and style as much as they do quality of the raw materials. While some 2005 offerings tasted to date display beauty and grace, others show dizzying (litterally) alcohol levels. Consilience Winery has been making wine since 1997, but was formally founded in 1999. A partnership of two couples, Tom and Jodi Daughters and Brett and Monica Escalera, they have been making wines "loosely focused around the typical Rhône varietals" ever since. Their philosophy is to create wine with distinct expression of regional characteristics. With the motto of "High Octane wines", Consilience wines are big and bold, typically offering rich aromas and robust fruit with, distinct varietal characteristics, good structure and early approachability. Winemaker Brett Escalera also actively employs the practice of assemblage, to bring the wine to what he feels the fermented lots of component wines dictate. The winery is not an estate winery. In this business there are two ways to make wine: grow the grapes yourself or buy them from other growers. Certainly, the latter allows for greater freedom and a broader range of wines for a winery's line up. But your wines better live up to the reputation of the vineyard. Consilience is well positioned in this respect. Brett Escalera brings his own skills and experience from his tenure at Fess Parker Winery, where he was Director of Wine Making from 1996 to 2006. Not only is Brett's experience at Fess Parker an asset, but his connection to Fess Parker Winery grants Consilience access to Fess' vineyards where some of the best grapes in the area are grown. Color  5 points Nose  5 points Palate  4 points Finish  3 points Tannins  5 points Acidity  5 points Alcohol  4 points Aging potential  2 points Overall quality  8 points Back to top Rating Scale explained Search our wine reviews archive by: review date, vintage and winery.			Get the buzz: Wine reviews Great stories Interviews Wine education tools New content every month It's FREE! Click here
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