AU BON CLIMAT - Santa Barbara - Pinot Noir 2016
Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat is with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon one of the most charismatic figures in the Californian wine industry.
A physique à la "Didier Dagueneau" and an equally consuming passion for the search for perfection. Jim does not own any vines and sources his grapes mainly in the Santa Maria Valley region of Southern California where the Bien Nacido and Sandford and Benedict vineyards are located, a 245 hectare vineyard near the Pacific. , and its refreshing influence and morning mists. For many years he used an old farmhouse and abandoned CBS studios as a winery. Since 1988 he has had his own cellar which looks more like a storage warehouse than a conventional cellar. Regardless, Jim Clendenen's wines are recognized by the wine industry as part of the elite.
For the vinification of his Pinots, Jim shows the same disrespect for technology and conventions. Maceration as long as possible with pumping over, punching down and malolactic fermentation in barrels, fining and minimum racking and no filtration. Au Bon Climat Pinot Noirs are a subtle blend of sweet red fruits well centered around a firm structure but with finesse which is not without resembling Volnay.