Interviews and News about
Arcadian Winery and Joe Davis

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Double Blind Tasting By Richard Whalen
"I had some guest for a dinner party (steak) and decided to do a double blind tasting and have the guests make notes and score. The wines with average score totals.
1997 Chateau Latour 87 points
2004 Craggy Range Syrah 92 points
2007 V. Telegram La Crau 95 points
2004 Arcadian Westerly Syrah 100 Points!
None of us had ever given a wine 100 points before, and really debated this. We all agreed the Rhone was a 95 point wine, excellent bordering on outstanding, yet the Arcadian was in another league. While all the wines were very well made, yours had a delicous factor that was off the charts. So we debated some more..And after we finished your wine (first), we concluded it was a 5 point better wine than the 95 point wine, and the Rhone did not deserve a lower score. We never did finish the Latour that night, they made me open a 03 Westerly.which was also a big hit. Thanks for making such delicous wine, I think to many wine makers forget that at the end of the day, no matter how technically correct a wine is, if it is not delicous, whats the point? Wine is to drink!"

Pinot Noir - California vs. France II :By Marc Liberts
"Last night I attended a winemaker dinner at Spiritland Bistro featuring Joe Davis of Arcadian Winery. The theme was California vs French pinot noir, and it turned out that Joe was the perfect choice to narrate the comparison because he is heavily inspired by French Burgundy. Joe gave a number of very enlightening talks about his winemaking style and philosophy, and shared a number of his wines with us.."
Check out the whole story on edhat.com web site

New York Times: Finessed and Light: California Pinot Noirs With a Manifesto. By Eric Asimov
“To me, pinot noir is a house of cards, and each manipulation adds more cards,” said Joe Davis of Arcadian, a steadfast believer in early picking. His wines are slow to develop but are meant to age. While many producers are about to release their 2007's, his graceful, fresh 2005's have only recently hit the market.
Check out the whole article on the New York Times web site.

The Judgement at BLT:
Michael VonSalzen, Sommelier BLT Steak @ The Westchester Ritz-Carlton White Plains, NY.
one of my biggest wine collector guests rented out our private dining room for himself and 8 of his closest hedge-fund manager, wine collector friends, and we did a whole tasting menu, paired with wines, part of which we did blind. During the first course I poured them a 2000 Louis Latour Batard-Montrachet and your 2000 Arcadian "Sleepy Hollow" Chard. I wasn't able to fool anyone here, they all picked the Latour correctly. However, during the second course, we switched to Burgundy vs CA Pinot, and the fun began... I poured a 2000 La Tache and your 1998 Arcadian "Bien Nacido" Pinot Noir. Everyone (including a self-professed Burgundy geek) except one person thought the Arcadian Pinot was the La Tache!!!! Price points: La Tache @ $1,250/btl, Arcadian Pinot @ $138/btl!!!! To be completely honest with you, I personally tasted the wines blind too (I had a server pour me a little of each when I wasn't looking), and the Chard was easy to pick out (I didn't even need to put it in my mouth!). The Pinot was really tough though!!! Now, I know these are just serious collectors and not the wine press or Master Sommeliers or anything...

Wine Style Asia Awards On the other side of the world Arcadian Wines were awarded the Gold Platinum Trophy's (2005 Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow & 2005 Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow) and the Silver Medal Award (2005 Syrah Sleepy Hollow).

The Gold Platinum Trophy is their highest and most prestigious award. It was very good showing for Arcadian Winery and CA wines vs. the French meaning the wines offered are soft and nicely balanced in a Burgundian style which caters to the Asian "taste". Currently only 10% of all wine in Asia is from CA so this is a very good showing and will generate much interest at the show with importers/exporters for "New World Wine" and unique offerings of boutique and artisan wines from Arcadian Winery.

Arcadian Winery Center Court at the Basketball Hall of Fame
Arcadian Winery was selected as the exclusive wine for the Basketball Hall of Fame 2009 Reunion Dinner and Enshrinement Ceremony held September 10-12 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Joe Davis, Owner, Winegrower and Winemaker attended the event with his wife Jill and presented each class member with a signed magnum of Arcadian 2005 Dierberg Pinot Noir.  A magnum of Arcadian 2005 Hommage a Max Syrah was signed by the class of 2009 to be donated to a children’s charity of Joe’s 6 year old son Max’ choice.  “We are thrilled and honored to be among these legends of basketball and to be the official wine sponsor for this historic ceremony,” said Davis. Davis has been renowned for his artistry with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah grapes for more than 25 years and consistently receives high praise for his Burgundian Style California wines. Arcadian Winery is located in Santa Rita Hills in the wine region of Santa Barbara County.

Check out more photos from the event

 

Anthony Dias Blue has scheduled a review of the Arcadian 2005 Chardonnay, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands ($48) in the October issue of The Tasting Panel magazine, with a score of 91 points.

Fun TV news spot on Solvang's Third Wednesdays on KCOY TV

Boulogne Billancourt France - Blue Bird Productions is filming a production about Californian Wines as a part of a series of 5 documentaries, on the New World Wines. Joe Davis Owner, Winegrower of Arcadian Winery in Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, CA will be featured in this documentary among a select few California growers. Arcadian Winery received high acclaim for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah by a French tasting panel.

“I have been making Burgundian style California wines for over 25 years so I am extremely honoured to be included in this documentary,” said Joe Davis.

The production will also focus on how the wine is growing in the regions of Australia, USA, South Africa, Argentina, and Chile.

This documentary is due to be released in Europe later next year.

California Bacchanalia - Inside The World of Pinot Noir, By Adam Leith Gollner
Great story about the 2009 World of Pinot Noir and some Arcadian wines.

Edible Santa Barbara - What the Grownups Are Drinking by Diane Murphy & Laura Lindsey

Video: What does Burgundian mean in wine? Joe Davis of Arcadian Winery answers.

More Videos with Joe:
What do wood barrels do to wine?
When to Decant Pinot Noir?
Why Joe Davis of Arcadian Winery loves Pinot Noir?
Where in the world Joe Davis of Arcadian Winery would spend one year?

The Prince of Pinot- Great website devoted to the joys of Pinot Noir, with several Arcadian fun stories. This site does offer a reasonable subscription rate but by using these links you will be able to access these stories for free:

	General Arcadian info from The Prince of Pinot
	Article about Fiddlestix Vineyard 10/1/2008
	Article, Small Sips of California Pinot Noir: Just Drink It
	Article, Sta. Rita Hills Wine & Fire
	WOPN: 7th Heaven for Pinot Geeks

Yeast Gone Wild- Interesting story about wild vs cultured yeast, Joe comments.

le Journal du vin - Tasting with Joe

Graperadio.com - Podcast interview with Joe

Graperadio.com - The Pinot Showdown with Joe Davis

Food & Wine: The Buyer's Guide to 75 of the Best California Wines
California has a reputation as a place where anyone can prosper and anything can grow. Yet while there are plenty of ambitious winemakers, there are only a few grapes that can produce world-class wines. The following six have what it takes. F&W executive wine editor Lettie Teague, senior editor Ray Isle and frequent contributor Richard Nalley tried hundreds of wines made from these grapes to find the 75 best.

"2002 Arcadian Pisoni Vineyard ($80) Winemaker Joe Davis's love of elegance and restraint might seem at odds with the Santa Lucia Highlands' famous Pisoni Vineyard, which typically produces powerful, intense, fruity, even flamboyant Pinot Noirs. But in Arcadian's brilliant '02, the result is a gorgeously balanced wine, with the scent of flowers and the texture of satin."
Read the whole story here

THE WILDER SIDE OF CALIFORNIA - Doug Wilder, Issue 67 - 2003 Arcadian - Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley; Vinfolio rating: 98 points Joe Davis has done something unusual for most wineries; he has nearly tripled production of his Dierberg Vineyard Pinot Noir in one year, and the wine has gotten better. Arcadian produced about 250 cases in 2002, and the wine received a VF 94 rating making it into my "Top 25 of 2005". It was a significant wine among Pinot Noir I selected last year. In regards to the 2003, the production is about 700 cases now, which is still small. I was instantly enchanted when I tasted this wine last week and have taken a large position in it; Vinfolio is the first to offer it. I spoke with Joe on the phone today, and he mentioned that the changes in fruit they are receiving from Dierberg includes some Pommard clone. The overall blend is now roughly balanced with additional clones 31, 13 and 115. Joe agreed with me that the Pommard gives the wine substantial richness throughout.

BURGHOUND.COM (3rd Quarter 2006 - Issue 23) THE ULTIMATE BURGUNDY REFERENCE - "Readers should know that Joe Davisí goal is to create serious, long-lived and intense Burgundian styled wines and to that end, he does not destem; as such, the texture and mouth feel of his wines are decidedly different than much of what you will usually taste from California and Oregon."

Wine Skinny.com December 2005/January 2006 - "Too often, it seems, California Pinot Noir is overly ripe and heavy - lacking in the nuances and delicate complexities that are present in great Pinots. There are, however, a few producers that manage to capture the beauty and grace in this elusive, sometimes exasperating, grape - Arcadian, with owner/winegrower Joe Davis at the helm, is one of them."

Paul Root - Root's Cellar Arcadian-Lucia-Pisoni-Roar-NOW - "2003 Roar Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir...Ultra-ripe, silky, glycerol, CrËme de Cassis, wild, late summer blackberries wrapped around smoky cherry wood with a dash of cinnamon. This is a great example of why the Santa Lucia Highlands (SLH from now on) region is getting so much attention.

Santa Barbara News Press (09/01/05) Schaefer On Wine: Winemaker follows the path of artisanal Burgundies - "... with winemaker Joe Davis at Arcadian Winery, based in Santa Maria, everything is always 'more' Burgundian."

BURGHOUND.COM (3rd Quarter 2005 - Issue 19) THE ULTIMATE BURGUNDY REFERENCE - "Readers should know that Joe Davisí goal is to create serious, long-lived and intense Burgundian styled wines ..."

Robert Parker.com Discussion Board (June 19, 2005) - "The best Pinot I have ever had was the 2002 Arcadian Francesca, an entirely different style, and a staggering Burg replica." - Roy Piper

Paul Root - Root's Cellar A Taste & Toast to "Sideways" - "Joe Davis's 2002 Arcadian Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ... How can it be that this wine's been around since last October and we weren't told about it?"

The Pinot Report (11/30/04) for people passionate about western pinot noir - "Incredible power, depth, elegance ..." - See page 4 for reviews of Arcadian's pinot noirs.

Monty and Sara Preiser's It's Time for Wine California Quality Pinot Noir Gives Burgundy the Blues. - "Joe is a master and all of his wines are distinctive and sophisticated ..."

Patty's Pinot Closet Dedicated to the total enjoyment and appreciation of Pinot Noir wine. - "Intense dark color with dark red fruits flavor and a silky taste in the mouth following with a long finish..."

The Pinot Report (October 2003) for people passionate about western pinot noir - See page 4 for reviews of Arcadian's pinot noirs.

Robert M. Parker, Jr's The Wine Advocate The Independent Consumer's Bimonthly Guide to Fine Wine - "These impressive wines are hand-crafted from low yields, bottled gently, and handled with care."

Morrell & Company - "Extremely rich, ripe aromas of honey and honeysuckle with pineapple and hay nuances, even a touch of marzipan and vanillin."

Weekend Journal - The Wall Street Journal Tastings / By Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher - "... and such outstanding winemaking is not an accident."

Decanter.com the route to all good wine - "My favourites include: The Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of newcomers, Joe Davis at Arcadian"

Wine Enthusiast Magazine Wine Enthusiast | Buying Guide - "The bouquet of this "big and chewy" Syrah is a complex tiramisu, black-cherry and smoke melange."

The Wine Cellar Wine Tasting by Kristian Denis - "All violets, blackberries and raspberries on the gorgeous, evocative nose...then velvety, stunning dark fruit on the palate..and a finish that lasts for ever and ever."

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