A rich, flavorful effort in the portfolio, the 2011 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard offers darker berry fruits, black plum, licorice, wild herbs and hints of underbrush to go with a medium-bodied, lively profile on the palate that stays rooted in the juicy, acid-driven style of the estate (these days anyways). A touch straightforward at the moment, it has impressive structure and mid-palate depth, so give it a year or so before checking in. It will certainly still be drinking nicely in a decade. This was a mammoth tasting with winemaker Adam Tolmach and assistant Fabien Castel. While I had a number of these shipped to my office in Colorado (where I was able to follow the wines for multiple days), there were still upward of 30 bottles to taste through when I showed up at the estate. Adam continues to pull in his harvest dates, and in a number of cases, has released two cuvees from each vineyard, one harvested early (the Special Bottling) and one harvested later, which is still on the early edge. I have mixed feelings about the new style here, and while these early pick dates give his wines beautiful tension, acidity and energy, it comes at the expense of texture and richness, and the wines have a sappy, resinous, if not green, character that won’t be for everyone. Nevertheless, there are certainly some outstanding wines here. Tel. (805) 649-1674; www.ojaivineyard.com