Review: Migration 2018 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley CA ($70)

 Duckhorn's Migration brand is focused on cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A lot of the wines come from the North Coast (Russian River Valley and Anderson Valley in particular), but the brand dips farther south to Santa Barbara County's legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard for this offering. First planted in 1973, the large Bien Nacido Vineyard is still a coveted source of Pinot Noir for many, many labels. This wine is such a great example of Bien Nacido fruit - it reminds me of so many wonderful wines I've had from the vineyard over the last three decades. The wine is lucid, not overly dark or concentrated, with fresh black raspberry fruit, a bit of a bitter, nutty blackberry seed note, some spice and dried herbs. The oak influence is really subtle, without a lot of obvious vanilla or toast notes - maybe just a hint of licorice on the finish. This is a beautiful wine. Hats off to winemaker Dana Epperson, who has been doing great work recently at Migration. (95 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber