Bien Nacido
Bien Nacido is a winemaker’s paradise. The site is vast yet unquestionably intimate, laying like a patchwork quilt draped across a sweeping mountain side on the eastern edge of the Santa Maria Valley. Few, if any, vineyards around the world offer such a vast diversity of soils, varietals, micro-climates and topography all capable of making world class wine in one location. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most important vineyards in California history, each block is a masterclass of uncompromising individuality and utmost quality. We have been beyond fortunate to work with the Bien Nacido team farming an incredible arrays of blocks since 2020.
We are lucky enough to source from multiple sections of this vineyard, each composed of a different blend of soil, aspect, micro-climate and lineage. The upper blocks are composed primarily of a clay-loam base mixed with chunky deposits of Monterey Shale. The lower blocks facing the interior of the valley mix into a light brown fine sandy loam full of alluvial deposits left behind from ancient riverbeds. If you head down into the canyon and across the river that winds its way right through the middle of the property, the soil immediately turns to a fluffier finely grained sandy loam. It’s all a part of the magic.
Today, we are beyond fortunate to work with some of the most storied blocks at Bien Nacido.
Source blocks: Za, 11B, 99A, 99C, 39B, L, X
Source material: Syrah - Estrella (Own), Alban(Heritage)
Grenache - 513, Alban(Heritage)
Mourvedre - Classified
Chardonnay - Clone 4
“Six years later, my heart still races every time we pull up to the property. There’s no other vineyard that commands the same kind of reverence. It’s hallowed ground.”
