Eric Dunham: Winemaker - Dunham Cellars

Dan Phillips of Grateful Palate with Paul

Tasting with Joe Davis of Arcadian Winery

Joe Davis, owner/winegrower of Arcadian Winery (Santa Rita Hills, CA) was in Nashville in January. He was kind enough to stop by Midtown Wine and Spirits not once, but twice in the same day to pour wines for our staff to taste through. Joe is very approachable and answered all questions posed to him with a great amount of detail and interest.

In speaking and tasting with Joe we learned about several interesting winemaking processes at Arcadian that are worth noting. First, vineyards are leased whenever possible so that there is an extra measure of control rather than simply purchasing fruit. This allows for lower yields at harvest which improves grape quality. Secondly, whole cluster fermentation is employed with the pinot noirs. This is fermentation of intact clusters with all berries and stems. Whole cluster fermentation, if done properly, adds flavor and nuance to wine, especially pinot noir. Also of note is the fact that the wines are aged in oak for extended periods of time, up to 22 months. This adds depth of flavor and color. And a final point of interest is that the grapes are pigeaged (foot treaded) at crush. This is done 3 to 5 times daily to further extract color, tannin and richness and are pressed when sugar levels reach 1 to 2 °.

It is interesting to note that Arcadian pinots are considered by many critics, including the highly regarded Alan Meadows of Burghound, to be among the most Burgundian of all domestic pinot noirs. Having tasted the wines and spoken with Joe about his passion and commitment to the grape, we would have to agree with that assessment.

Below are notes on the wines that we tasted with Joe.

2005 Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay
Round and balanced with good acidity and structure. Upfront fruit with interesting citrus, lemon curd and spice nuances. Somewhat creamy mouth-feel with oak detectable but well integrated. Delicious now, but will probably improve over the next three or so years.

2003 Dierberg Pinot Noir
Deep ruby red color. Aromas of black cherry, cranberry, and spice. Palate follows nose with a pleasant sappiness as well as some added pomegranate flavors. Mouth-feel is very textured and appealing with supple tannins.

2003 Pisoni Pinot Noir
Moderate shade of red. Aromas and tastes of spicy black cherry, cinnamon, and earthiness. Somewhat tannic. Needs decanting really open up, but once it does it very, very nice.

2004 Fiddlestix Pinot Noir
Medium ruby in color. Excellent extraction. Lots of upfront cherry, baking spices, and red fruit with moderate tannins. Juicy and appealing with a bit less structure than the other pinots we tasted.

2003 Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir
Big expressive nose of bing cherry, smoke, and herb/spice with an interesting floral component. Palate follows nose with excellent textural feel, moderate tannin, and a firm but long finish.

2001 Gary's Vineyard Pinot Noir
A wine that is truly beginning to come into its own. Fully integrated tannin and acidity make for silky, supple textures yielding layers of raspberry, plum, black cherry cola, spice, and an understated earthiness. Very appealing. Ready to go now, but will probably still improve over the next year or two.

2004 Stolpman Syrah
Deep ruby in color. A bit closed on first tasting in the morning, this wine had fully opened and blossomed by second tasting in the afternoon. Very Northern Rhone-ish in style with lots of smoke, blueberry, and garrigue, followed by subdued hints of bacon, and very subtle floral notes.

2005 Santa Ynez Syrah
Value priced syrah with lots of primary flavors, lots of structure, and a kind of wild and wholly feeling. Will probably be best in a few months after settling down a bit, but is definitely ready to go otherwise.

Visit the Arcadian Winery Website for more information.