The Harvest
Mother Nature provided difficult cool weather conditions throughout 1998 and rains at flowering eliminated any chance of a complete fruit set. This in turn brought about low yields making it unnecessary to drop crop. Throughout the spring and summer, it remained cold and because ripening lagged behind schedule, we were forced to tediously green harvest undeveloped grapes that otherwise might have imparted bitter flavors to the wine. Finally, harvest came a full month later than normal.

The Vineyard
The number of truly great vineyards in the world is very limited and only time will verify which vineyards will earn the right to be labeled so. Bien Nacido Vineyard has achieved that status in a relatively short period of time. It is often recognized as the premier Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Vineyard in Santa Barbara County and many critics compare it to the great vineyards of Burgundy. Perhaps that is why critics and fans alike have euphemistically referred to Santa Barbara County as Santa Burgundy.

The grapes for this wine came from T block. T block is clone-22 planted to a cane-prune system on 7 x 12 spacing. Soils consist of elder loam, a well-drained sandy loam that developed in alluvium derived in acid shale and sand stone. T block sits at 1500-ft elevation on a 9 - 15 % slope. The average annual rainfall is 12 to 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 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir, he employed their traditional techniques to bring forth the uniqueness of these particular rows within block T.

Only the best Pinot Noir grape clusters are handpicked in the vineyard in the early morning hours when the fruit is still cool. Pinot Noir has a tendency to ferment very quickly thus preventing the wine full color and flavor extraction. To arrest the on-set of immediate fermentation, dry ice is added to the small open top fermenting vats. This "cold soak" (at 45 °F) slows fermentation while saturating the juice with rich fruit flavor and true Pinot Noir color (from prolonged contact with the grape skins). Concomitant with the primary fermentation is malolactic fermentation (malic acid to lactic acid) which reduces the total acid and imparts softness to the wine. The grapes are pigeaged (foot treaded) 3 to 5 times daily to extract color and tannins. We then press the wine at 2-3% sugar and allow it to complete fermentation in barrel; this helps integrate the qualities of oak in the wine. The wine was aged in new François Frères 75% French oak barrels for sixteen months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.