Isabelle Morgan Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, herb-crusted rack of lamb
✨ Technical Specifications
Au Bon Climat's 'Isabelle' Pinot Noir is a flagship cuvée created by the late, legendary winemaker Jim Clendenen. Named in honor of his daughter, Isabelle Morgan Clendenen, this wine represents a masterclass in blending. Unlike single-vineyard designates, Isabelle is a barrel-selection cuvée sourcing the finest Pinot Noir from top-tier cool-climate vineyards across California, often spanning from northern Mendocino down to the Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills, including the historic Bien Nacido and Sanford & Benedict vineyards. This unique approach allows for a wine of exceptional complexity, structure, and consistency. Crafted using traditional Burgundian techniques—open-top fermentation, manual punch-downs, and extensive aging in premium François Frères French oak barrels—it is celebrated for its seamless integration of dark berry fruit, savory forest floor, and refined spice.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1982 by visionary vintner Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat stands as one of California's most influential pioneers of cool-climate, Burgundian-style winemaking. Situated on the benchlands of the Santa Maria Valley and sourcing from iconic vineyards such as Bien Nacido, Sanford & Benedict, and the estate Le Bon Climat, the estate thrives within transverse valleys channeled by cold maritime airflow off the Pacific Ocean. Viticulture emphasizes sustainability, with key estate holdings certified organic. In the cellar, the late Clendenen's philosophy lives on through longtime winemaker Jim Adelman alongside Jim's children, Isabelle and Knox Clendenen. Vinification champions classical European restraint: whole-cluster pressing, native and selected yeast fermentations in François Frères French oak barrels, full lees contact, and unhurried elevage without excessive new wood or heavy extraction. Celebrated benchmark whites include the single-vineyard Bien Nacido K Block, Sanford & Benedict, and the flagship Chardonnay Nuits-Blanches Au Bouge, each exemplifying bright minerality, seamless acid architecture, and remarkable cellar longevity.
🍇 Grapes
Pinot Noir
🍷 ABV
13.5%