2024 Foxen - Pinot Noir Santa Maria (750ml)

Foxen was founded in 1985 by friends Dick Doré and Bill Wathen, who met while working in the vineyards of the Santa Maria Valley. They based the winery on Rancho Tinaquaic, the Mexican land grant bought in 1837 by Doré’s ancestor, English sea captain William Benjamin Foxen, whose cattle brand, the anchor, became the winery’s emblem. Wathen learned French winemaking from Dick Graff at Chalone and favors minimal intervention. The first Foxen Pinot Noir arrived in 1989.

The Foxen Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley is an appellation blend, drawn in recent vintages mainly from Bien Nacido and Riverbench vineyards and from several clones, including Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon selections. Grapes are hand harvested and whole-berry destemmed into small open-top fermenters as separate vineyard and clonal lots, then cold macerated for a couple of days. Fermentation runs 10 to 14 days with twice-daily punch downs. The wine typically ages about ten months in neutral French oak and is bottled without fining or filtration.

Dark cherry, brambly red fruit and baking spice lead, with a savory, sea-breeze accent reminiscent of kombu. The palate is ripe and supple at medium weight, with a mineral thread and lively acidity reflecting the valley’s cool, coastal climate. Approachable now, it has the structure to evolve gracefully.