AU BON CLIMAT Pinot Noir 'Santa Maria Valley' - Santa Barbara County, California 2022/23 Bottle

Description

Au Bon Climat, founded by the visionary Jim Clendenen, has long been the standard-bearer for elegant, Burgundian-styled Pinot Noir in California. Their Santa Maria Valley bottling is a classic representation of this cooler, maritime-influenced appellation, where persistent coastal fog and ocean breezes allow for a long, steady ripening season.

The 2023 vintage is beautifully aromatic and classically framed. In the glass, it displays a bright, translucent ruby colour. The nose offers a highly inviting bouquet of wild strawberries, tart cranberries, and dried rose petals, seamlessly woven with savoury undertones of damp earth, black tea, and a delicate touch of clove and baking spice from careful maturation in French oak.

On the palate, it is medium-bodied and impeccably balanced. Fresh, vibrant acidity lifts the bright red fruit flavours, while fine-grained, silky tannins provide a gentle, refined structure. It is a wine of grace rather than sheer power, showcasing the distinct finesse and complex, earthy charm that define the Santa Barbara coast. Highly approachable now in its vibrant youth, it also possesses the underlying structure and freshness to evolve beautifully over the next five to eight years.