The Harvest
1998 was a long cool season-one that began late, and ended late. Typically we harvest Bien Nacido Chardonnay in mid to late September. However, the residual cool weather effects of El Niño delayed our schedule by as much as four weeks. We began picking Chardonnay on October 1 in Y block, which is situated back near the Au Bon Climat and Qupé wineries. This block is insulated and somewhat warmer than the V and I blocks further down on the plateau. V block was picked on October 15 and our final harvest of I block was on October 24th. All three blocks produced clean fruit and yields remained under 35 hectoliters per hectare.

The Vineyard
Bien Nacido Vineyard has come to be recognized as the premier Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Vineyard in Santa Barbara County. Many critics have often compared it to the great vineyards of Burgundy.

In 1969, the Miller family, a fourth generation California farming family, purchased the property. They quickly realized that the soil and climate were ideal for growing grapes. In 1970, they began planting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The grapes for this wine were harvested from Y, V and I blocks. Y block is a clone-4 planted to a vertical shoot trellis on 5 x 8 spacing and spur-pruned. V block is a UC 4-clone that is cane-pruned and planted to a vertical trellis on 3.5 x 5 spacing. I block is a UC 5-clone planted to a vertical shoot trellis on 3.5x 5 spacing. Both V and I sit on a plateau and are considerably more exposed to cool marine breezes. Y block sits back in the far northern part of the vineyard and is protected by a small hill. This protection allows Y block to ripen earlier and develop more juicy fruit flavors with lower acidity. While V and I remain exposed to the cooler breezes, they retain more acidity. The soils consist of elder loam, a well-drained, sandy loam that developed in alluvium derived in acid shale and sandstone. In a representative profile, the surface layer is dark-gray sandy loam about 23 inches thick. The underlying layers are gray and light brownish-gray stratified sandy loam and fine sandy loam to depths of 60 inches or more. Elevation is 800 feet and the average annual rainfall is 12-18 inches. The average annual air temperature is about 58 °F, and the frost-free season is 240 to 300 days.

The Production
The wines of Burgundy have long captivated Arcadian Winery's winemaker, Joe Davis. He has studied and emulated those Burgundian artisans he most admires and for this bottling of Monterey Chardonnay, he employed their traditional techniques to bring forth the uniqueness of these particular rows within blocks Y, V and I.

The grapes were hand picked and delivered into the winery in the morning and then whole cluster pressed using a small bladder press. The lower yield of whole cluster pressing is offset by the more delicate, low phenolic juice. The juice was cold settled for 48 hours and then racked to barrel. Fermentation took place in a combination of new and 1-year old French oak barrels coopered by Yves Sirugue. Davis prefers the long, elegant finish that these Burgundy barrels contribute to Chardonnay. Leuconostoc bacteria were added during primary fermentation to induce malolactic fermentation (a conversion of malic acid to lactic acid). This conversion helps reduce total acid and softens the wine. The wine was aged sur lee (on the yeast) for 16 months to reduce oxygen uptake and to soften the mouthfeel of the wine. Barrels are hand stirred every 2 weeks for 3 months to improve the textures and mouthfeel of the wine. The wine is protein stabilized and polish filtered just prior to bottling. In vintages where the wine completes malolactic 100%, no filtration will take place. The wine was aged 6 months in bottle before release.