Knox Alexander Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, pan-seared salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
Named in honor of founder Jim Clendenen's son, Knox Alexander, this flagship Pinot Noir is a profound expression of the Santa Maria Valley's cool-climate terroir. First released from the 1998 vintage, the cuvée is meticulously crafted from the finest estate blocks at the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard and Le Bon Climat Vineyard. Clendenen, a legendary pioneer of California wine, sought to prove that Central Coast Pinot Noir could achieve the longevity, structure, and nuance of Grand Cru Burgundy. The wine is fermented in open-top containers with regular manual punch-downs before undergoing aging for up to 22 months in 100% new François Frères French oak barrels. It is celebrated for its savory complexity, vibrant acidity, and firm tannic backbone, steering clear of over-extraction to prioritize elegance and ageability.
🍾 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%