Somewhere along the way, Bill Foley discovered that he liked
good wine.
Further along down the line he realized that the terroir of the Santa Barbara County was top notch for
growing his two favorite varietals, chardonnay and pinot noir. So what does
Foley do? Well, he gets involved.
In 1997, Foley and his wife, Carol, bought J. Carey Cellars
and turned it into their first winery, Lincourt
(named for their daughters Lindsay and Courtney). Then, in 1998, he purchased
Rancho Santa Rosa in the Santa Rita Hills. This would soon become Foley
Estates, his second winery. With his recent acquisition of the Firestone Winery
on Foxen Canyon Road, and Gaia Vineyards in the Santa
Rita Hills, he is slowly becoming one of the biggest players in the Santa
Barbara wine scene.
The winemaker behind all of Mr. Foley’s wines is Alan
Phillips. Since getting involved with Foley Estates and Lincourt,
he has received some flattering ratings from many different sources, including
Wine Spectator, Decanter Magazine, and most recently Food and Wine. Lincourt’s 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir was named
“the best pinot in America” in Food and Wine’s March 2007 issue. This was based
on value, food pairing ability, as well as the wine’s ability to stand on its
own.
Like many central coasters, I’ve tasted more than my fair
share of pinot noir, so I was very curious what kind of wine wins this sort of
award. Retailing far below many other pinot noir’s in the area, Lincourt’s pinot noir may be one of the best buys around
right now. Lincourt
is producing some other wines at great values as well. I tasted the whole flight recently.
’06
Sauvignon Blanc,
Santa
Barbara County
This sauvignon blanc
was way more complex than I expected it to be. Citrus aromatics dance with
unexpected woodsy notes. The acid is right on the money and six months in
neutral oak has beefed up the great minerality in the
mid–palate.
’06
Sauvignon Blanc,
Lincourt Estate
Made in the same fashion as its Santa Barbara County sister
above, the terroir of Lincourt’s
estate shines through. The fruit tones
come out a bit more here. Although there is still some citrus notes, green
apple and vanilla take more of the spotlight.
’05
Chardonnay,
Bien
Nacido
Bien Nacido’s cooler climate has
created a chardonnay with class not flash. Not overly tropical or fruity,
subtle tones of banana and coconut are refined nicely by the 10 months this
wine spent in neutral oak. The barrels’
flavor is definitely there on the palate, but it plays well with the wines
acidity.
’05
Pinot Noir,
Santa
Barbara County
A great cranberry and caramel nose leads to a soft yet
uninhibited mouth feel. Like other good
pinot noir, it softly moves across the palate yet finds a way to make strong
statements along the way. Food friendly? I’m
bringing a bottle to Thanksgiving dinner.
’05
Pinot Noir,
Santa
Rita Hills
This one’s nose moves more towards tart cherry and
cola. Damp earth tones creep into the
mix as well. The mouth feel is a bit more
aggressive with a longer, more enjoyable finish than the Santa Barbara County
Pinot Noir.
’05
Syrah,
Santa
Barbara County
This syrah is well balanced due partly to the blending of
cool and warm climate grapes. The cool
climate contributes a dash of black pepper and bacon fat while the warm climate
fills the wine out with strong dark berry tones. Straight–forward
syrah at a great value.
’04
Cabernet Sauvignon,
La
Cuesta Vineyard
82% cabernet sauvignon and 18% merlot, this wine is very bordeaux in its styling. The nose
brings forth good prune and cassis notes, and the balance of the two varietals
is right on the money. Just enough front palate from the
merlot to light the rich cabernet up.
Let this one breathe for a bit.