A month ago Joe & Co. hosted a marvelous and generous Big Bottle Bash for the Grand Cru Society. Right up front, I need to extend a heart-felt expression of gratitude to Joe, Beth, Julio, and everyone in attendance for being cool with Ashley and I bringing our 4 yo boy and almost-2yo girl to the event – without that, we wouldn’t have been able to attend. The event was hosted at a large, expansive hillside property that afforded gorgeous views and plenty of room for the party goers to enjoy ourselves without at all feeling cramped. My boy enjoyed looking at the horses. 
It was tons of fun meeting some new folks, and seeing some familiar faces, too (Cheers to fellow Berserkers, Bryan Cottriel and Larry Schaffer ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
). I cannot emphasize enough how generous Joe is to his GCS members. The wines, alone, merit membership, but it never ceases to amaze me how giving Joe is with his time and wares. Thank you, Joe.
As for the wines: they were as one would expect, and better. It seems quite rare to attend an event and have every single wine show well, but that’s what happened here. Even wines I was expecting to show as tight, given their youth and format, were drinking quite nicely on this day. That particularly applies to the '05 Francesca’s, which I was expecting to be closed-in on itself. Two of the day’s highlights for me were wines I had never tasted before, and one of them made an indelible impression.
Another memorable Arcadian event, in the books.
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2007 Arcadian Pinot Noir Jill’s Cuvée - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (11/11/2017)
– tasted a single glass non-blind over 30 – 45 minutes –
– from 3L –
NOSE: red-fruited; expressive; very pleasant aromatics on this one right now.
BODY: ruby color; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: red-fruited; high acidity; fine tannins; alc. not noticeable; drinking nicely right now for those who prefer a primary presentation; keep Holding if you want some tertiary development. Excellent.
2005 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (11/11/2017)
– tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 minutes –
– from magnum –
NOSE: medium-light oak note; strong mineral note behind the fruit; simultaneously tropical and buttery, which has always been a trademark of this Sleepy Hollow vintage for me; smells younger than usual, perhaps owing to the magnum format.
BODY: golden yellow color; medium bodied.
TASTE: rich, but not overblown; mineral flavor pushes forward on the full finish; unmistakably Chardonnay; alc. not noticeable; without CT, I wouldn’t even be able to start recalling how many times I’ve had this wine, and it has always pleased — today was no exception; between the rich golden yellow color and the giving nature of its aromatics and flavors I’ve always wondered if this would age quickly — it hasn’t. It’s aging at a very slow pace, and this will go another 10+ years easily; not yet at peak; Drink Now or Hold. Excellent.
2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Francesca’s Cuvée - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (11/11/2017)
– tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. one hour –
– from magnum –
NOSE: “pretty”; red-fruited with a hint of leather (brett, perhaps); more expressive than I was expecting from this wine, especially from this format.
BODY: {forgot to note wine’s weight}; youthful magenta-ruby color.
TASTE: relatively gutsy (for a Pinot (from Arcadian)) — moreso than the '07 Jill’s, for example; red/purple fruit mixture; strong mineral note; high acidity. I did not expect this to show as well as it did, given its youthfulness and my recent experience less than two months prior with a tight 750mL; best to Hold this one.
1998 Arcadian Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (11/11/2017)
– tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 15 – 20 minutes –
– from magnum –
Rich, buttery, and oaky on the Nose, along with an interesting salami aspect. Rich golden yellow color. Medium-light body. High acidity. I got the impression the fruit is starting to fall away on this one, and would therefore recommend drinking now; others around me seemed to think this isn’t as far along its aging path. Drink Now.
2007 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (11/11/2017)
– tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 minutes –
– from 3L –
I distinctly remember chasing after my 2 yo daughter while enjoying this wine, so my TN suffered greatly as a result. All I wrote down was “hint of brett on the Nose; medium bodied; rich fruits on the palate.” Beyond that, I remember this presenting quite well – more relaxed than I was expecting, especially out of 3L. Perhaps this will be a relatively early-drinking Pisoni: I’ll likely take a 750mL for a spin sometime soon, to take a closer look at where this one is. As usual with Joe’s take on Pisoni fruit, I loved it.
2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (11/11/2017)
– tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 45 minutes –
– from 5L –
Spicy red-fruited aromatics on the Nose — obvious tertiary development, but there’s still plenty of fruit sticking around. Color is that of a maturing wine. Very enjoyable maturing flavors; high acidity; some leather/brett; seems pretty open, and likely in its prime drinking window; Drink Now.
2003 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (11/11/2017)
– tasted a single pour non-blind over 30 – 45 minutes –
– from 3L –
NOSE: gorgeous complexity here! strong cigar note, dark fruits, and that smell of flowers that are just starting to turn; expressive.
BODY: very dark violet color; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: “fresh” — halfway to full maturity from this format?; purple-fruited; spicy; long finish; 14.6% alc. not noticeable; excellent! great time to open a 750ml and check-in, as many would probably consider this at peak.
2003 Arcadian Syrah Evans Ranch - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (11/11/2017)
– tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 60 minutes –
– from 3L –
– more chasing after kids with this one –
Very youthful violet color. Quite peppery on the palate, with showy dark fruits; hint of leather. This was my first time with this wine, and I unfortunately didn’t get to sit down with it the way I wanted to, but I can undoubtedly say this was excellent: I purchased two bottles to take home. Need to get into one of those 750’s to see where it’s at from that format.
1997 Arcadian Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (11/11/2017)
– tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 60 minutes –
– from magnum –
– tasting note entirely from memory –
Sometimes a wine stops you in your tracks. Joe casually stopped by our table near the end of the event and poured this in our glasses before quickly absconding to do the same for other guests. As such, he didn’t get to witness the moment of frozen awe that followed immediately after my first sip. It took a good couple minutes for me to catch my breath. This wine just drips class. Lovely aromatics — red fruits, dried herbs, hint of leather, some mineral — absolutely spellbinding. Moving on to the palate, the goodness only gets better; shockingly fantastic. Complex, pure, crystalline. Maturing red-fruits; high acidity; alc. not noticeable; no tannins; absolutely gob-smacking; probably the best Arcadian Pinot I’ve had, which would make it the best American Pinot I’ve had, and I don’t say that flippantly. I hate to throw a score out there when I didn’t really “sit down” with a wine, but I nonetheless feel compelled here, so let’s call it a gut impression score of 98 – 99. Legit Grand Cru quality in this bottle. Even to this day – typing this note – I get goosebumps thinking about this wine. Magical. (99 pts.)