Bien Nacido Estate Succession 2020

Viticulture

Varietals: 36% Syrah, 28% Grenache, 36% Mourvèrde
Clones;: Syrah - Estrella, Grenache - Alban 1, Mourvèdre – 369
Blocks: Syrah - Z, Grenache - 39, Mourvèdre - 38  
Vine Age Planted In 2009
Soils: Monterey shaly loams with varying levels of sand. These blocks within the vineyard are at the highest elevation. Onshore winds blow from the ocean to the land.

Vinification

The 2020 vintage is our inaugural blend of 36% Syrah, 28% Grenache and 36% Mourvèdre from the Bien Nacido Vineyard

Hand-harvested at night and fermented with native yeast and malolactic fermentation. Aged 16 months in French oak; 45% new. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting notes

Aromas of blueberries, sage, tropical flowers, and earthy tones fill the glass. In its current youthful form the palate is dominated by fresh pomegranate juice and exotic spices that are nicely balanced by bright acidity and firm, yet silky, tannins. Look for increasing elegance and subtlety as the tension of adolescence slowly fades while this wine ages gracefully to 2030 and beyond.

Winery Description

The history of Bien Nacido can be traced back to the year 1837, when a Spanish land grant of some two square leagues was secured by Tomas Olivera from Juan Bautista Alvarado, then Gobernador of Alta California.

This land grant stretched upward to the San Rafael Mountains from the Santa Maria Mesa, which bordered the Sisquoc and Cuyama Rivers. In 1855, Thomas Olivera sold Rancho Tepusquet to his son-in-law Don Juan Pacifico Ontiveros. Don Juan Pacifico Ontiveros started construction on an adobe in 1857 and moved to the ranch the following year. He and his wife raised horses, cattle, sheep, several grain crops, and grapes for the production of wine. The historic Ontiveros Adobe still stands today, surrounded by vines at Bien Nacido Vineyards, and is a meaningful gathering place for the community of Santa Maria Valley winemakers and farmers.

In 1969, the Millers, a fifth-generation California farming family purchased a stretch of land in California’s then-nascent Santa Maria Valley wine country. By the early 1970’s, the Miller Family had planted the vineyard land, and christened it Bien Nacido Vineyards.

Since that time, winemakers throughout California coveted the fruit from this singular piece of land. Heavily influenced by the nearby Pacific Ocean, pinot noir, chardonnay, and syrah have found great expression here.

The terroir of Bien Nacido Vineyards is a combination of the rocky soils, cool climate and good people that work the vineyard on a daily basis. We would like to think that Bien Nacido Vineyards finds its true calling in the hands of those who farm and tend to it year round. It has something to say, and our winegrowing team has allowed it to find its voice through a mindful, dedicated and nearly obsessive commitment to excellence in farming.

Trey Fletcher
Prior to joining the Miller family brands, Fletcher worked in the Stag’s Leap AVA of the Napa Valley and in the Mendoza and Cafayate regions of Argentina before landing as Assistant Winemaker at Domaine Alfred. He then accepted a post as Assistant Winemaker at Littorai in Sonoma, where he was until he joined the Miller family on California’s Central Coast.