WTN: Disappointing visit to Arcadian

[Jenise]

In L.A. over the weekend, I opened this bottle from my cellar because we had plans to go to the winery on Sunday. Thought it would be a great way to introduce my friends to what this winery can do.

2003 Arcadian Pinot Noir Rio Vista Sta. Rita Hills
Divine, maturing pinot flavors of cherries, rhubarb, spice and chamomile. Impressive for both its age and the vintage.


Then on Sunday, we tasted these at the winery:

2008 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands
Big nose with diesel-y things going on, cool vintage secondary characteristics. Asked if this was the current release and the pourer nodded yes. I suspect it was instead just a wine they want to sell off. I noticed there was a 2010 Clos Pepe Chardonnay on the shelf.

2009 Arcadian Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands
From a bottle opened at noon that day: big red fruit, some iodine, solid.

2011 Arcadian Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills
From a bottle opened the previous day: big tannins, low acid, prunes.

2004 Arcadian Syrah Westerly Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley
From a bottle opened the day before: seriously pruney, can't even tell it's syrah.


I couldn't have been more disappointed. We made the 80 mile trek up to Lompoc expressly to visit the tasting room, and two of the four wines we're served are oxidated? The server merely nodded when we commented on the condition but did not participate in the discussion; we couldn't even tell if she understood what 'oxidated' meant but either way it was clear that 1) we didn't find them drinkable and 2) she wasn't opening new bottles. I went prepared to buy a case, but in fact only bought two wines based on prior experience with those other vineyards in other vintages (like Fiddlestix and Clos Pepe), neither of which we were tasted on. If Joe Davis thinks this is okay for people to experience in his tasting room, then he's taken a serious demotion in my esteem.

Hey Jenise, we opened a 2007 Arcadian "Sleepy Hollow" Pinot yesterday and I was quite happy. It had been opened previously a few months ago and re-corked but with slightly more ullage. Bright sweet and sour cherries but NO earthiness or funk/mushroom which is what really turns me on. I have a few more but doubt that they will develop in that direction.

[Jenise]

Jim, I have no doubt. I've been drinking 10+ year old Arcadians for years--at one point I had more Arcadians in my cellar than any other domestic producer. All have been varying degrees of delicious and impressive. The problem I'm noting here is that the tasting room is knowingly presenting 'off' wine. The only salvation is that while there we discovered Flying Goat Cellars whose wine I absolutely loved. And that's mostly what I brought home. Familiar with them?

[David M. Bueker]

Jenise,

I would send Joe an email. He needs to know that his tasting room staff is doing a bad job. If he does not respond then take him down a peg.

[Jenise]

Jenise,

I would send Joe an email. He needs to know that his tasting room staff is doing a bad job. If he does not respond then take him down a peg.

In fact I already did. I'll post back if I get a response.

I've been to a number of tastings in the presence of the wine-growers whose wines have become more or less oxidized from having been open overnight and often subjected to temperature fluctuations . The worst was on a Friday in Brussels at an importer who had been showing all week at several Dutch and Belgian towns. On one wine on which I commented, the grower admitted that the bottle had been opened on Tuesday in Amsterdam!!

I can't understand this sort of penny pinching by exhibitors who are clearly losing reputation and sales thereby . The practice may be being short sightedly forced by the importers who own the stocks but IMO the growers should refuse to go along with it.

[Jenise]

It makes no sense, Tim. Nobody's going to buy oxidized wine, so why pour it? Take it off the table or shut the doors! I actually put that question to the people at Arcadian, but no response yet so probably none coming. Sad.

[Jenise]

So, to follow up: no word from Joe himself, but the office manager answered with all kinds of words about tasting room employees who don't understand "oxidized" and the cost of opening new bottles on Sunday, which I hadn't even suggested. I had said, simply, "Take them off the table or shut the doors, but don't serve spoiled wine." Anyway, they offered to send me a fresh bottle of one of the two bottles I'd identified as oxidized, which is nice.

[David M. Bueker]

Probably about all they can do.