Bien Nacido Vineyards

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Bien Nacido Vineyards of Rancho Tepusquet

Location	Santa Maria, California, USA
Appellation	Santa Maria Valley
Founded	1969
first Vintage	1973
Key people	Christopher Hammell, James Ontiveros, Nicholas Miller
Parent company	Thornhill Ranches
Varietals	Pinot noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Barbera, Roussanne, Nebbiolo
Other product	Avocados
Website	http://www.biennacidovineyards.com

Bien Nacido Vineyards is cool-climate vineyard on the central coast of California. Located midway up the Santa Maria Valley, it is known for growing Burgundian and Rhone varieties of wine grapes.

1 History
2 Soil and Climate
3 Vineyard Design
4 Farming Practices
5 Independent Winemakers In Residence
6 External links
7 Notes

[edit] History

The vineyard traces its roots back to the year 1837 when a Spanish land grant of some two square leagues was made to Tomas Olivera by Juan Bautista Alvarado, then Gobernador of Alta California. This grant covered nearly 9,000 acres (36 km²) ranging upward to the San Rafael Mountains from the Santa Maria Mesa, which bordered the Sisquoc and Cuyama Rivers. The ranch was generously watered by Tepusquet Creek, so called by the Chumash Indians to whom it meant "fishing for trout." Thomas Olivera sold Rancho Tepusquet in 1855 to his son-in-law Don Juan Pacifico Ontiveros and daughter Martina. Don Juan Pacifico Ontiveros started construction on an adobe in 1857 and moved to the ranch the following year. He and his wife raised horses, cattle, sheep, several grain crops, and grapes for the production of wine. During subsequent years, his heirs divided the property until only about 1,400 acres (6 km²) remained surrounding the Ontiveros Adobe.^[1]

In 1969, the Millers, a fifth generation California farming family, purchased the property. They also purchased an adjacent parcel which had been part of the original land grant, and reunited the two as Rancho Tepusquet, now comprising over 2,000 acres (8 km²). While the ranch itself had always been called "Rancho Tepusquet", the Millers selected the name "Bien Nacido Vineyards of Rancho Tepusquet" for the vineyard operation.^[2]

In the early 1970's, it became clear to the Millers that the soils and climate were ideal for growing grapes, and they moved quickly to realize the full potential of the property. Premium varieties such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Merlot were planted.

[edit] Soil and Climate

Located on the receiving end of the east-west transverse mountain range, Bien Nacido Vineyards is a maritime-influenced desert. The morning fog cover and the cool afternoon breezes from the Pacific Ocean make this a Region 1 climate on the Winkler Scale. The rainfall averages 12 - 14 inches a year.^[3] The terrain is sand, chalk and marine loam that provides good drainage. The whole package results in cool, slow ripening grapes, with longer hangtime on the vines.^[4]

[edit] Vineyard Design

Bien Nacido Vineyards consists of over 800 acres (3.2 km²) of planted vines, of which over 300 acres (1.2 km²) are planted to Chardonnay, over 250 acres (1 km²) to Pinot Noir, a variety associated with the appellation^[5], and a number of acres each to Pinot Blanc, Syrah, and Merlot. Since 1992, experimental plantings of Pinot Gris, Barbera, Roussanne, Nebbiolo and Viognier, as well as new clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Merlot, have been added.^[6]

Bien Nacido has the distinction of being one of the major viticultural nurseries in the state for certified, varietal budwood. Most of the vines were originally from stock grown by the University of California at Davis. While the average increase block in California is less than 10 acres, Bien Nacido Vineyards has several hundred acres of certified Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and a number of other varieties. Much of the Chardonnay planted in California in the last twenty years began as Bien Nacido Vineyards cuttings.^[7] The Syrah cuttings also have gained a reputation to the point that some vineyards will refer to their plants as stemming from the Bien Nacido clone. ^[8]

[edit] Farming Practices

The approach farming Bien Nacido is customized and labor intensive, most vines at the vineyard are touched by hand an average of 7 times a year. Each customer's portion of a block is farmed according to their standards, such as organic or biodynamic farming techniques^[9]. The grape production is sold to customers by charging a flat rate for the area or rows, so the winemakers can crop their vines to volume they desire. This is in contrast to the industry standard which is to sell by the ton. The typical industry approach creates an adversarial relationship in which the vineyard is advantaged to hang more fruit on the vine, whereas the artisan winemakers want to crop it down and let the fruit hang longer (which further dehydrates and shrinks the tonnage)^[10]. Some of Bien Nacido customers have bought the same rows of grapes for over 20 years and will even designate their particular block on the bottle^[11].

[edit] Independent Winemakers In Residence

Bien Nacido Vineyards does not produce its own wine. It does allow certain independent winemakers to make their wine on the vineyard. There are three winemaking facilities on the property, one of which is leased to Bob Lindquist of Qupe Winery ^[12]and Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat Winery, another is leased to Jeff Fink and Bill Cates of Tantara Winery^[13], and the final is leased to Greg Linn of Ambullneo Vineyards^[14].