Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted duck, creamy mushroom risotto, grilled salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
Au Bon Climat's Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir is a masterclass in restraint and a testament to the vision of the late, legendary winemaker Jim Clendenen. Often referred to as the 'Wild Man' of California winemaking, Clendenen defied the trend toward over-extracted, high-alcohol fruit bombs, choosing instead to craft Pinot Noir with Burgundian sensibility—focused on high acidity, moderate alcohol, and food-friendly balance. Sourced from prestigious, cool-climate vineyards across Santa Barbara County, including the iconic Bien Nacido Vineyard, this wine undergoes traditional open-top fermentation with manual punch-downs before aging in classic French oak barrels. The result is a deeply aromatic, nuanced red that captures the coastal fog and maritime breezes of the Central Coast, offering a historic link to the pioneers who first proved that world-class Pinot Noir could thrive in Southern California.
🍾 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%