2013 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir

When the 2013 Sandler Bien Nacido Pinot Noir was fermenting in early October 2013, it reminded me of the 1999 version we made from this old vine block when I was at Testarossa.  2013 and 1999 could not have been more different types of growing years, but they had two things in common with regards to the resulting wines:  concentration with aromatics.  Usually, you end up with one of those two attributes, but you sacrifice the other.  Rarely do they appear together in the same year. 

You can expect a long evolution out of the 2013 Bien Nacido Pinot, and it should hit its stride sometime in late 2015.  But if you'd like to try one sooner, decant a bottle several hours in advance to allow it to open up.  Given the track record of the '99 which I check in on at least once a year, the 2013 should evolve into the late 2020s and hopefully beyond.