2016 Foxen Chardonnay Block UU Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley

California Grand Cru vs. Burgundy Premier Cru

You could spend $285 or more on a bottle of Comtes Lafon Meursault Premier Cru—and if you do, we hope you’ll invite us over for a taste. Alternatively, you could spend far less for several bottles of this 2016 Foxen Chardonnay from Bien Nacido Vineyard, a site that is unquestionably a California Grand Cru. After all, Bill Wathen and Dick Doré of Foxen took a page directly from the winemaking script of Burgundy great, Comtes Lafon. The difference is Foxen’s Chardonnay grapes are kissed by that ravishing California sun, delivering opulence in a ripe-citrus, honeycomb-kissed package. In the best vintages, these golden-hued gems stand tall against the likes of Kistler, Aubert, Morlet, and Peter Michael—but always at a fraction of the cost. Even Parker himself notes the impressive value, calling the 2016 Foxen Chardonnay Block UU, “quite keenly priced,” adding, “It has a nice sense of completeness and finishes quite long.” The “UU” block is a highly-sought after parcel in Bien Nacido, and this 2016 Foxen shows off alluring honeysuckle, lemon curd, and pan-seared apples, balanced by slatey minerality and sea-spray salinity. 

As two Central Coast natives, Bill Wathen and Dick Doré know all about the cool-climate riches offered by the region’s greatest vineyards. Dick Doré was raised on Rancho Tinaquaic, where the scintillating Foxen Chardonnay Tinaquaic Vineyard is grown, while Wathen grew up in San Luis Obispo. Despite decades of experience, the pair would rather give credit to the vineyards themselves for their outstanding wines, and of all the incredible lots that they farm, the Bien Nacido Vineyard may be the finest.

Bien Nacido, which traces its history back to 1837, is set in chilly Santa Maria Valley (one of the coldest microclimates in California) at the western edge of the Santa Maria Bench, on alluvial terraces and hills above the Sisquoc River. Summer temperatures are moderated first by morning fog, then by stiff breezes off the Pacific. The soils are deep, comprised of silty clay loam and shale. Foxen’s Block UU is just 1.35 acres, first planted to Clone 4 in 1973.

In 2016, Mother Nature graced the Santa Maria Valley with a generous, temperate growing season, and the team at Foxen took full advantage. The call to harvest came in the wee hours of August 31. All grapes were hand-picked at night to preserve freshness and acidity, then pressed in whole clusters and barrel fermented. The result was a vibrant, cool-climate Chardonnay that competes with the top wines of the vintage in terms of quality, and exists in a league of its own when it comes to value. Don’t miss this one.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 13.40%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• % Chardonnay
• Serving temperature – 45°
• Cork