Tasting Notes – Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir 2021
Tasting Notes
Wine: Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir 2021
Grape: The wine is produced using Pinot Noir grapes. The grape is black in color, thin skinned and native to France. It is one of Frances oldest grapes being cultivated by Cistercian monks in Burgundy starting in 909 AD. It is one of the most finicky grapes to grow requiring low yields and is subject to numerous issues in the vineyard that can be brought on by wind, cold or hot weather, fungus, or rot, due to its thin skin and susceptibility to disease. The grape does best in cool, dry climates with well drained, stony, or chalky soils.The best place in the world for the grape is Burgundy, France. In Burgundy, the top wines bring 5 figure price tags and are the most expensive wines in the world. The high price for this wine is due to how difficult it is to grow and low yields. The famous Romanée-Conti wines bring some of the highest prices for wine. Only 5000 bottles of this wine are produced per year. As an example, the Rare Wine Investment site has bottles of 2014 at $15,030 per bottle and bottles of 2017 at $14,547 per bottle. One more example is a vintage 2000 bottle with an original price tag of $1,265 per bottle now costs $11,284 per bottle. Pinot Noir is the most favored red wine world-wide.
Color: Ruby red
Aromas: Strawberry, cherry, raspberry, oak, vanilla, earthy, smoke
Flavors: Red fruit, oak, toast, vanilla, cherry raspberry
Body: light +
Alcohol: 13.5%
Acid: Medium +
Sweetness: Dry
Tannins: Light +
Balance: Classic California Pinot Noir with balanced tannins and acidity
Serving Tips: 55º to 60º F, in a burgundy wine glass, decant for 30 minutes
Aging: age up to 7 years
Food Pairings: Veal, beef, game, poultry, pork, turkey
Winery Notes: The Au Bon Climat Winery that produced this wine is in Santa Barbara County.Santa Barbara Pinot Noir is the wine used in the movie “Sideways”. Au Bon Climat has been growing grapes in Santa Barbara since 1982, 23 years before the movie. Originally, they planted 75% to 80% Chardonnay with only 20% to 25% Pinot Noir. Today it is about a 50 -50 split between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.