Foxen 2021 Bien Nacido Block 43 Pinot Noir

The Wine

Foxen’s 2021 Bien Nacido Block 43 Pinot Noir is a beautifully expressive snapshot of one of Santa Maria Valley’s most iconic parcels. The Bien Nacido Vineyard was owned for decades by the Miller family and brought to fame in 1982 when the late Jim Clendenen (a larger-than-life rock musician with a Burgundian soul) started a winery called Au Bon Climat (a beautiful site) right next to the vineyard. This wine from Foxen winery rides atop the shoulders of these giants.

This wine opens with lifted aromatics - wild strawberry, pomegranate, and just‑ripe cherry - layered with rose petal, orange zest, and a cool, minty herbal edge that’s a marker of Bien Nacido. Subtle notes of crushed sandstone, white pepper, and a hint of black tea add nuance as it opens in the glass.

On the palate, the wine is vibrant and finely etched, carrying that classic Santa Maria Valley tension. Red fruit flavors echo the aromatics - cranberry, raspberry, and cherry - supported by a refreshing acidity. The tannins are ultra‑fine, almost powdery, giving the wine shape without weight. A gentle undercurrent of savory spice, dried thyme, and forest floor brings depth, while subtle thread of vanilla and cocoa peek through from the winemaker's restrained use of oak.

The finish is long, cool, and mineral-driven with more red fruits and citrus peel, and a saline snap that speaks directly to the vineyard’s ocean‑influenced climate. It’s a wine of finesse and clarity, more about purity and site expression than power. Foxen has coaxed the most wine possible from these pedigreed grapes!

The Winery

Foxen Winery is owned by Dick Dore and his life-time friend, Bill Wathen. Dick is the great grandsons of a sea captain named William Foxen, who purchased one of the Spanish land grants and named the 9,000 acres "Foxen Canyon". The anchor on every Foxen wine label is an homage to their great grandfather, who used the same image as a brand on his cattle.

For fans of the movie, Sideways, the old Foxen tasting room (the Shack) was used in the movie - it's where Jack and Stephanie began flirting. And, as with the rest of the Santa Barbara wine country, they have enjoyed a continuing surge in popularity during the past 20 years since the film came out. But it is not ONLY because they were shown in the film, which was forgotten long ago by most people - it's because the film brought to light the unique qualities of the region and its wines.

Today Foxen has expanded into a far, far larger facility that is fully solar powered. In fact, their new facility is sustainable in every way needed - a full 360 degree view - to pass the onerous SIP Certification process!