Foxen Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley 2016

Bill Wathen and Dick Doré have been making wine together since 1985, when they founded Foxen Winery & Vineyard at the historic Rancho Tinaquaic in northern Santa Barbara County.

The winery is named in memory of William Benjamin Foxen, an English sea captain and Dick’s great-great-grandfather. Benjamin Foxen came to Santa Barbara in the early 1800s and purchased the historic Rancho Tinaquaic in 1837 with a Mexican Land Grant that totaled nearly 9000 acres, most of what is now known as Foxen Canyon. Their Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley shows pomegranate sorbet, cranberry skins, rose petals and wild herbs on the nose. The palate is crisp and tart with raspberry fruit that's lifted by chaparral spice and wild thyme.