Pinot Noir
75cl * 13.5% ABV * Santa Barbara, California
Alexander Payne's 2004 film Sideways must be given a little credit for boosting sales of Santa Barbera Pinot Noir around the world. However, Au Bon Climat (which has been making Pinot since 1982 - two decades before Sideways was released) was always on its way to stardom.
A blend of top Pinot barrels from different vineyard sources, the Isabelle Pinot is Au Bon Climat's most highly regarded. It is a bright and effusive wine with tons of aromatic presence and fine balance. Sweet red cherry fruit, orange peel, spice, and dried herbs open first, followed by a host of perfumed floral notes that lead into the mid-palate and finish. Silky and quite elegant, all it really needs time in the bottle to come into its own.
Drinking window: Enjoy now – 2040+
"Lastly, the 2020 Pinot Noir Isabelle is all Pinot Noir from six different vineyards and four different AVAs. Its translucent ruby hue is followed by a great nose of spiced red and black berry fruits, spring flowers, savory herbs, and assorted baking spice nuances. Beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, and elegant on the palate, it has integrated acidity, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's easily my favorite in the lineup and will evolve for another 10-12+ years." 94/100, Jeb Dunnuck
"Complex, fresh aromas of cherries and citrus lead to fruit flavours that are still quite youthful (red cherries, raspberry ripple and raspberry jelly) but the minerality and natural freshness shows that this wine has great potential. Although its drinking now, it will be a far more enjoyable from 2026 and will keep for at least a decade if not fifteen years after that." Rupert Pritchett - Taurus Wines (tasted 06/02/24)