Au Bon Climat 'Santa Maria Valley' Pinot Noir 2021

Holy wow this is pretty Pinot. It has taken forever to write this tasting note - the wine is too damn distracting. Beautifully fragrant, soft and pure. Deep strawberry aromas dominate, backed up by mulberry, black cherry and a savoury, earthy spice. The warm, ripe fruitiness gives away that it's New World, but equally shows the restraint and class of classic red Burgundy. The wine is young and plush right now and has capacity to stay fresh for up to a decade more. Though we've tasted ABC as old as 20 years, still singing like a daisy.

Press Review:

Jancis Robinson MW: "Very pale crimson. Pretty sweet palate... fresh and ferny... light and delicate". A reserved, classy, European style Pinot from one of California's top growers".

Self-styled wild boy, the late Jim Clendenen founded Au Bon Climat (ABC) in 1982. He became famous for making pioneering wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on California’s Central Coast. He passed away in 2021 and is remembered as one of the most charismatic and influential people of his vinous generation. It would be difficult to overstate Jim’s impact on Californian wine-making. Just as it is difficult to overstate the quality of his wines.

It took just a month spent in Burgundy in the mid-70's for Jim to redirect his career path from law to vine. Subsequent visits inspired Jim's affection for Pinot & Chardonnay, and most notably the name of his winery-to-be; 'Au Bon Climat', which translates as “a well-exposed vineyard”. Being a pioneer of the West Coast wine scene, Jim was among the first to cite the importance of soil. As such all of the ABC owned vineyards are farmed organically (certified since 2003). They are, naturally, well-positioned vineyards across the Central Coast, with warm days, cool nights and the influence of the Pacific and it's benevolent fog characterising the superb terroir.