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Wine Recommendation
Makor
2005 Pinot Blanc, Bien Nacido Vineyard(Santa Maria Valley)
If you look at the Au Bon Climat triangular labels, a line near the bottom says “Produced and bottled by Jim Clendenen, Mind Behind.” And while Clendenen is the sole provocateur of the label, when he’s on the road promoting Au Bon Climat and Santa Barbara County, the daily winery tasks fall to Jim Adelman, production winemaker at the joint Au Bon Climat/Qupé facility, located on the Bien Nacido Vineyard property. Effectively, he’s the mind behind the mind behind!
Adelman makes a small amount of wine under his Makor label, though it’s usually his own spin on something neither producer makes. His Pinot Blanc, 100 percent Bien Nacido grapes, is a wine I buy every year. Basically, he treats the wine about the same way a high end Chardonnay might be produced there: totally barrel fermented (1/3 in new French oak) with full malolactic. The 2005 version is bright with citrus but becomes more serious on mid palate as the barrel fermentation, and subsequent six months in oak, frame and deepen the flavor profile, finishing with a fine squirt of lemony acidity.
Purchase this wine as part of the Bien Nacido Vineyards Collector’s Case, a unique offering of 12 vineyard designated wines from 12 different winemakers.
Reviewed April 3, 2007 by Dennis Schaefer.
The Wine
Winery: Makor |
The Reviewer
Dennis Schaefer
Dennis Schaefer has been tasting and writing about wine for over 30 years, propelled by a continuing curiosity and burgeoning enthusiasm for discovering what’s in the bottle. Blessed with catholic tastes, he enjoys everything from the obvious to the sublime. A major requirement is that the vineyard, winery and winemaker consistently perform well and fulfill their potential. Balance, concentration and complexity are key to the tasting experience but, in the end, the purpose of wine is simply to give pleasure. |