The latest edition of Mutineer Magazine, issue #14, is out and in it you’ll find my Wine Steals column, which this month features pinot noir for under twenty bucks. This is one of the wines I mention in the article.
The name of this producer, Au Bon Climat, looks so simple and yet I feel like I’m mispronouncing it every time I say it—and I probably am. But that’s really the only thing I don’t like about this wine.
This one comes from Santa Barbara County, which is a cool-climate region and is perfect for pinot noir and chardonnay. It’s far south of the better known California wine country of Napa and Sonoma.
The aromas from this pinot noir are sharp and focused, at least that’s how I visualize it when I take a whiff. Sometimes aromas trigger aural analogues in my mind when I smell them and sometimes they trigger visual analogues. In this case, it’s more visual. It’s spicy with cinnamon, cherries, berries and floral aromas. The palate has outstanding acidity with cranberry, raspberry and strawberry flavors. It finishes with bright acidic fruit flavors and tea-like tannins.
This pinot noir definitely gets a thumbs up.
Wine: Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $17.99
Find Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir with Snooth