2013 Foxen Winery Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills

When Demand Outpaces Supply

When we first knocked on cellar doors in the Côte de Nuits, it was 1978, and we were greeted with open arms. These were tough economic times, and even the likes of Roumier and D’Angerville 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. Unlike Bordeaux, where châteaux produce thousands of cases of wine per year, 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/bottle. The 2015 Bonnes-Mares will fetch $1,500!

It wasn’t really until the early 1990s that our love affair with Pinot Noir turned stateside. We began scheduling twice-a-year trips to Carneros, Russian River, and Santa Barbara. A handful of American winemakers were making enormous strides, including Steve Kistler, Peter Michael, and the team of Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach at Au Bon Climat. Unfortunately, much like the Grand Crus of Vosne-Romanée, California’s top single-vineyard Pinot Noirs were crafted in tiny quantities. Demand quickly outpaced supply.

Much has changed in California in the last two decades, but the pressure from the law of supply and demand has stayed constant. Prices for nearly all of the highest-rated coastal Pinot Noirs have pierced $100/bottle. This is why we jump at the chance to grab astounding under-$50 bargains like The Wine Advocate’s 93-point 2013 Foxen Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard, one of biggest steals of the year.

Early Santa Barbara County pioneers, the “Foxen Boys” — Bill Wathen and Dick Doré — made their first wine together in 1985 on the basketball court of the Doré family’s historic Rancho Tinaquaic property. The rest is history. For over 30 years, their tiny-production, single-vineyard whites and reds have consistently pushed the limits of ripeness and concentration. It’s in an ultra-ripe vintage like 2013, and from a complex vineyard like John Sebastiano — Wathen and Doré carefully selected only the best clusters from Blocks 19b, 25a, and 34 of the 104 Pinot acres broken down into 48 distinct perches and exposures — that California’s best Pinot-makers truly distinguish themselves. With the sensational 2013 Foxen John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir, the Foxen Boys have done it again, delivering all that succulent Pinot energy with even a touch more Burgundian grace.

Perched at the far eastern edge of the windy, mist-sprayed Santa Rita Hills appellation, the John Sebastiano vineyard was planted in 2007, but to winemakers it’s already famous for crafting some of most dazzling expressions of Pinot Noir on the Central Coast. In fact, outside of the world-famous crus of the Côte de Nuits, there are few places on Earth capable of coaxing the grape into such a powerful yet elegant package. Why? It’s all about the Pacific. Blowing directly across the vineyard’s steep slopes, where the latest Dijon clones slowly ripen to perfection, the cooling ocean winds not only preserve vibrancy and freshness, but also bring forth small, tightly-clustered berries of unbelievable dark-fruit intensity.

This miraculous marine influence has never been more apparent than in the phenomenal 2013 vintage in the Santa Rita Hills. And we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed.

The 2013 Foxen John Sebastiano Vineyard is a stunning bottle of American Pinot Noir, offering all the opulent stuffing we’ve come to expect from the Foxen Boys, but in a decidedly ethereal Burgundian frame: Think classic Vosne spice and polish channeled through the unmistakable ripeness of California’s Central Coast. Calling it “full-bodied, rich, mouth-filling and beautifully textured,” The Wine Advocate backed up its 93-point-score with a nod to the wine’s “tons of minerality, ground herbs, and sweet Pinot Noir fruit.” Add to that 95 points from Wine Enthusiast, and the mind-boggling value on display should become crystal-clear. Dark garnet in the glass. Notes of black cherry, sandalwood, crushed violet, and a touch of vanilla-spice on the wildly aromatic nose. Deeply extracted and seamlessly structured, with silky tannins that round out mouth-coating flavors of damson plum and blackberry jam on the lengthy, mineral-driven finish. The Wine Advocate suggests it won’t hit its peak until the mid-2020s. We see no reason to believe otherwise.

Tiny production from one of the California Coast’s top vineyards. 93 points from The Wine Advocate, 95 more from Wine Enthusiast. At just $45 per bottle, perhaps the last great steal left for lovers of world-class, single-vineyard Pinot Noir.

• ABV 13.80%
• Enjoy right away
• % Pinot Noir