Bien Nacido is an historic vineyard that has played an important role in the wine industry by supplying high-quality fruit to wineries since the 1970s. Bien Nacido also makes wines under their own name are ranked among the finest handcrafted wines in California. The operation is run by Winemaker Trey Fletcher and Manager Chris Hammell, and the Miller family who own both the Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills vineyards. The vineyard features both hillsides and relatively flat terrain and 15 different grape varieties are grown though their Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay are the most well-known.
History of Bien Nacido
The history of Bien Nacido can be traced back to the year 1837, when a Spanish land grant of some two square leagues was secured by Tomas Olivera from Juan Bautista Alvarado, then Gobernador of Alta California.
This land grant stretched upward to the San Rafael Mountains from the Santa Maria Mesa, which bordered the Sisquoc and Cuyama Rivers. In 1855, Thomas Olivera sold Rancho Tepusquet to his son-in-law Don Juan Pacifico Ontiveros. 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. The historic Ontiveros Adobe still stands today, surrounded by vines at Bien Nacido Vineyards, and is a meaningful gathering place for the community of Santa Maria Valley winemakers and farmers.
In 1969, the Millers, a fifth-generation California farming family purchased a stretch of land in California's then-nascent Santa Maria Valley wine country. By the early 1970's, the Miller Family had planted the vineyard land, and christened it Bien Nacido Vineyards.
History of Solomon Hills
The Solomon Hills Vineyard was planted by the Miller Family in the late 1990's. Known for pinot noir and chardonnay, Solomon Hills found its tenor early on in its relatively young life among a broad range of talented winemakers who found its vibrant, youthful flavor profile exhilarating, and, at times, profound.
The soils of Solomon Hills Vineyards are composed primarily of ocean derived sandy loams. Because it is the western most vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley appellation, it is the coolest of all vineyards in this growing region. With the Pacific coastline only miles away, a constant maritime influence results in wines of precise acidity, bright fruit and an inherent elegance.
The Solomon Hills Vineyards takes its title from neighboring hills named for Salomon Pico, a celebrated bandit who in the 1850's traveled frequently along the stretch of El Camino Real that is known today as Santa Maria Valley.
