Bien Nacido Vineyard Adobe Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, seared salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
Sourced from the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley, this Pinot Noir pays homage to the historic Ontiveros Adobe, an 1845 landmark that stands on the vineyard property as a testament to California's rich rancho history. The vineyard's unique position, opening directly to the cold Pacific Ocean via the east-west running Santa Maria Valley, subjects the vines to morning fog and cool coastal breezes. This maritime influence, combined with elder loam soils, allows for an exceptionally long growing season. Dominion Tantara crafts this cuvée using traditional, low-intervention French winemaking techniques, aging the wine in select French oak barrels to preserve the site's signature bright red fruit, savory dried herbs, and vibrant acidity.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1997 by Virginia natives Bill Cates and Jeff Fink, Dominion Tantara (originally founded as Tantara Winery) was born from a mutual passion for cool-climate Burgundian varieties. Operating out of the historic Rancho Tepusquet within Santa Maria Valley's celebrated Bien Nacido Vineyard, the winery sources fruit from elite Central Coast terroirs, including Dierberg, Talley Rincon, Zotovich, and old-vine blocks of Bien Nacido. Benefiting from east-west transverse maritime corridors that funnel morning fog and cool Pacific winds across benchland sandy-loam soils, the estate emphasizes long hang-times with natural acidity preservation. Viticultural practices focus on sustainable management with meticulous canopy care. Cellar vinification embraces low-intervention Burgundian traditions: selective whole-cluster fermentations, native yeasts, and aging in fine-grained French oak barriques. Benchmark bottlings include single-vineyard expressions such as Bien Nacido Vineyard O Block Chardonnay, Zotovich Vineyard Chardonnay, and Dierberg Vineyard Pinot Noir, prized for their tension, crystalline minerality, and savory aromatic depth.
🍇 Grapes
Pinot Noir
🍷 ABV
13.5-14.5%