2020 BB&R Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir by Au Bon Climat Californ...

Jim Clendenen’s journey began far from California. A formative trip to Burgundy in the 1970s ignited his passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, convincing him that these noble varieties could thrive in his home state. His philosophy was clear: craft wines of balance and nuance, eschewing excess in favour of complexity and longevity. This Burgundian influence remains at the heart of Au Bon Climat’s identity, shaping wines that convey a sense of place with clarity and poise.



The name Au Bon Climat—“a well-exposed vineyard”—reflects the estate’s privileged coastal position, where Pacific fog and cooling breezes temper California’s sun. Grapes are sourced from some of the region’s most celebrated sites, including Bien Nacido and Clendenen’s own Le Bon Climat. These vineyards, with their varied elevations and organic practices, provide the foundation for wines that marry European finesse with a subtle Californian flourish.

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey ""sous-bois"" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.