Au Bon Climat has been making Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County grapes since 1982, 23 years before the movie Sideways. Strawberries and blackberries aromas slowly rise out of the glass. Over time, more of the anise and clove will mix with these other aromas. Currently, the wine is young with mouth filling intensity and suppleness. Complexity will increase as the wine ages, but this wine should stay fresh for 6 or 7 years. Like all Au Bon Climat wines, this is a food wine. In its youth, match this wine with lamb or dried meats. After a few years, as the flavours coalesce, it will pair better with salmon or mild red sauce with pasta.

Au Bon Climat winery is totally devoted to making classic, Burgundian-styled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County. The convergence of cool, brisk Pacific air, marine-based soils, and east-west running valleys of the area provided an ideal place for growing exceptional grapes. Hence the name 'Au Bon Climat,' the French idiom for 'good place.'

Forty years later, the wines have earned a world-class reputation internationally. Jim Clendenen, 'The Mind Behind' Au Bon Climat, set the objective and stayed true to its course. As the fads in California winemaking have come and gone, Au Bon Climat has maintained a laser focus in producing traditional, site-specific, nuanced, iconic wines.

Pinot Noir (100%)

California