Au Bon Climat - Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2020

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"A fantastically light Pinot Noir but this has guts to it. I really love the interplay between the pure red cherry, strawberry raspberry and the baking spice elements. There is plenty of clove and vanilla which whisp around the glass as well as a touch of cola and grilled herbs. Silky soft tannins on the palate and a finish that seems to keep on giving for years."

 

--------THE PRODUCER--------

Au Bon Climat

Founded in 1982, Au Bon Climat (which means "a well-exposed vineyard") produces internationally-recognized Pinot Noir & Chardonnay from grapes grown in California's Santa Barbara County.

Located at the foot of one of California's most rated vineyards, Bien Nacido in the Santa Maria Valley, one of the finest sites in California, ideal for the production of the refined, Burgundian style of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to which Jim so aspires, ABC, as it is more commonly referred to, has won universal acclaim for its wines thanks to Jim 'Wild Boy' Clendenen, its winemaker & owner.

He regards Burgundy as the benchmark to which he should aspire and buys clones of Pinot Noir from Burgundy in a bid to replicate as closely as possible the restraint and finesse of the wines from that region.

Jim eschewed a career in law for the lure of the vine following a month's stay in Burgundy & Champagne when he was 21. He has never looked back, although he is frequently to be found darkening the doors along the stretch of the Cote d'Or. Unsurprisingly his wines combine the minerally precision & grace of Burgundy with the flair of the West Coast.

 

--------THE GRAPE--------

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir produces some of the world's most expensive, most lauded, rarest and delicious wines. Equally it is one of the most difficult grapes to grow successfully and as a result it is quite hard to make a balanced Pinot Noir. It is historically from Burgundy, most specifically in the Cote de Nuits, so much so that people will refer to Pinot Noir as a 'Burgundy'.

 

--------THE REGION--------

California

California is the United States of America's largest and most important wine region. It produces 90% of the USA's total production - with the fair majority of that being red wines. Since it is 'always sunny in California' it is the perfect region to grow red grapes that need a lot of heat to ripen up. This has lead to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and an Italian grape varietal: Primitivo (Californian's call in Zinfandel) to being the most important red grapes. Chardonnay is the leading white followed by Sauvignon Blanc.