Arcadian Tasting With Joe Davis 12/19/09

Thanks to Paul Galli for organizing this and inviting me, Barry Sunderland for hosting, and Joe Davis for so generously sharing his wines and knowledge.


Arcadian '98 Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - Wow! Lovely fruit, smoky with dried herbs, cherry, spicy stemminess, bay. With time some smoked meat - beef jerky.
Savory/meaty, biting tannin, zesty, smoky, cherry and rhubarb. A step down from the nose. 89 pts

Arcadian '01 Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - more creamy, white floral notes, foresty, good stemmy spice, black plum.
Smooth, smoky plum, zesty rhubarb, dried herbs, good savoriness, lemon verbena. Zingy citrus oil and plum finish. Still young. 92 pts

Arcadian '02 Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - wood spice, black plum, hint of citrus, smooth.
Dried herbs, black plum, lemon zest, cardamon, pith, tingly, touch of bitter spicy stem. Still a bit tight. 91 pts

Arcadian '05 Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - sweetish red fruit, black plum, creamy, nutmeg, sandalwood, smoky.
Somewhat primary, round, rich, dusty tannin, smoky roasted rhubarb and plum. 92 pts
Joe suggested a 12 hour decant.

Note: There's something I find a bit off-putting about Garys', and I've had many. This vineyard has big fans, so take my personal tastes with a grain of salt. These wines were well made. I just can't bring myself to overrule my palate.

Arcadian '00 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - warm dark spiciness, Gary's signature, light oak spice, smoky roasty plum and jujube, lighter tone.
Very dark, almost charry, grippy, spicy stemminess with a hint of green, tart cherry, smoke. The best Garys' Pinot I've had. 89 pts

Arcadian '01 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - high-toned spice, candied lemon zest, woody spice, rhubarb and strawberry.
Very smoky, a touch of bitterness, tart cherry, dusty, rustic, glyceriny plum. 86 pts

Arcadian '01 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - dark, rustic, tight, purple fruit, fennel, cardamon, nutmeg.
Farty, smoky, rustic purple fruit, some char and lime zest. 87 pts

Arcadian '05 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard (Santa Rita Hills)
Nose - very shy purple fruit, warm, touch of licorice.
Pert, smoky, intense complex fruit, plus char and lime, very floral, chervil. Very young! 92 pts

Arcadian '05 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - funky, bright, smoky purple fruit, dense.
Smoky, rustic, dark, jujube, lime zest. 91 pts

Arcadian '05 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe (Santa Rita Hills)
Nose - sweetish clove, black cherry, touch of marachino, sandalwood.
Intense tart charry lime zest, cherry, black plum, lovely floral note on the finish. 92 pts

Arcadian '05 Pinot Noir "Francesca's Cuvee" (Central Coast)
Nose - Rich, clean, spicy stemminess, smooth, black plum and black pepper.
Smoky jujube, smooth, dense, subtle complexity. Drinking well now, but should age deceptively well. 91 pts

Arcadian '05 Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard (Santa Maria Valley)
Nose - perfume, bell pepper, violet, dry dusty purple fruit.
Lovely florality, deep dark fruit. Really nice. 93 pts

Then, Ray Walker threw this in:

Truchot '00 Morey St. Denis 1st Cru Clos Sorbes
Nose - lovely, subtle, integrated nutmeg and red fruit.
Bacon, strawberry, smoke, some cherry. Just really nice and drinking perfectly. 93 pts


Arcadian '99 Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - Wow! Cinnamon, brown sugar, almond, nutmeg, maple, lemon balm, sandalwood. Just so complex!
Pert lush lemon, almond, tarragon, basil, lemon grass. At its peak. 93 pts


Arcadian '01 Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - kiwi, exotic spice, lemon verbena, sandalwood, luscious expression.
Sweet vanilla oak, fresh herbs, lemon, French oak spice, firm. 92 pts


Arcadian '05 Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - warm, nutmeg, lemon meringue, lemon verbena.
Intense, complex, lush, pert, lemon verbena, touch of caramel. 93 pts
The two previous bottles I had of this showed much more and were really impressive. As in 97 pts and the best CA Chard I've had. Some air would probably have brought out more, and that may be true for some of the other wines, too.


Arcadian '06 Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - sharper lemon, excellent fresh herbs, brown spice, warm.
Smooth, lush, brown woody oak, lemon, fresh herbs. Well structured. Hope this integrates. Drink '13-'18 Can't score

Joe is truly a master with Chardonnay. It occurred to me that Corralitos Pinot Noir would be perfectly suited to his style.

One interesting point is that Joe personally manages his blocks of all the vineyards he sources from.