Black cherries, plums and spices come together in the 2009 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard. In 2009 the Bien Nacido is a much bigger and darker wine than the Kick On Ranch. The combination of a sudden heat spike just before harvest and the use of 20% new barrels combined to yield a rich, big wine within the context of the Ojai house style. Another year or two in bottle should help some of the slightly rough edges to soften. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2021. This is a gorgeous set of wines from Ojai and proprietor Adam Tolmach. The 2009 Pinots and 2008 Syrahs in particular are terrific. The best Ojai wines – and there are many that vie for that label – are gorgeous, transparent to site and highly expressive. As always, the style at Ojai is fairly non-interventionalist. Since 2005, the fermentations have been gentler, with less overall extraction. The malos proceed naturally and slowly. As a rule, the wines are never racked until bottling. The Ojai wines remain exceedingly fairly priced considering the quality and painstaking effort that goes into every bottle. Tel. (805) 649-1674; www.ojaivineyard.com