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
Founded in 1982 by the visionary late winemaker Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat is situated in the cool-climate expanse of the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Operating out of the acclaimed Bien Nacido Vineyard, the winery forged an international reputation by championing restraint, balance, and classical Burgundian traditions long before cool-climate California viticulture entered the mainstream. Driven by early harvesting, indigenous fermentations, and meticulous French oak aging, Au Bon Climat crafts structured, age-worthy wines distinguished by high natural acidity and moderate alcohol levels. The estate is celebrated globally for its expressive site-specific and reserve bottlings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, including iconic signature labels such as Knox Alexander, Isabelle, and Nuits-Blanches au Bouge.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Pinot Noir
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
13.5%