Au Bon Climat, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Ynez Valley

Lots of warm baking spices, mushroom, wild red berry, pine forest, mint, and maybe even shoe polish. Color is a brownish red, quite translucent. In the mouth, the wine opens with flavors of bright red cherry and raspberry fruit that follows through into the long finish where some earth, mineral, and other umami flavors emerge. The wine is so delicate, finish silky, and fruit still vibrant. Would have for sure guessed old Burgundy and not a 27+ year old CA …

CV Lunch at Jade Palace. Semi-blind. Drank in Grassl Cru. Appearance some sediments, pale intensity, garnet colour with watery rim. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with wow aromas of Burgundian sous bois earth, bits of mushroom, puffs of smoke, integrated red cherries. Developed. On the palate, dry, softened high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), integrated medium tannins, medium body. Medium+ flavour intensity. with flavours of integrated red cherries, bits of stewed plum, melted potpourri, mushroom hints, sous bois earth. Long …

Man this was good; deep dark earthiness, with orange rind notes, baking spices; nimble, sleek palate feel with long lasting flavors

Wood smoke nose and taste; still some fruit. - dark cherry color. Delicious w sautéd chicken - wish we had another bottle.

I love these single vineyard offerings from Jim Clendenen. This limited production Pinot oozes Old School class. It’s nuanced and elegantly complex, with a chiseled structure, and savory notes of cranberries, forest floor, cedar, spices, and a beautiful whiff of feral dankness on a bed of red and black berry fruit. Blood orange acidity and mineral persistence linger on the articulate finish. Lovely way to kick off 2019.

No fruit, no life. Nothing to rate.

A fragrant, delicious and balanced pinot. Medium weight. Ripe without sweetness. Good value.

Visited tasting room. Great balance, with cranberry and cherry notes. Would buy.

Opened on our 19th anniversary to pair with a meal of grilled hangar steak, roasted cauliflower and grilled trumpet mushrooms. This wine really shone right from the outset and never dropped off in two hours in the decanter (decanted because the end of the cork snapped and the bottom part ended up down in the bottle). The color was a bright, translucent red with no browning or bricking. The nose and palate were rich with tart red cherries, a bit …

Mature black cherry aromas and flavors with subtle spice throughout. Some earthy elements were reticent to start, but emerged slowly with more time in glass. Cork reinserted in final 1/3 bottle, left on counter. Remainder of the bottle was better 2nd day vs when first opened, which bodes well for this wine's cellarworthiness.

Pleasantly surprised. Very light, at first pour comes across as watery. Complexity picks up, with a little bit of baking spice on the finish. Sour cherries carry through out. Still picking up some weight 2 hours after opening. Still fige though.

Oldest Isabelle I have ever had, and at 12 years of age...very impressive. Lots of dry black cherry with some nice spice notes and hint of forest floor. This was a recent purchase via a mixed auction lot and I'm very happy to own a couple more at an effective price of $40/bottle. This will continue to taste well for years to come. Kudos to Jim.

Very extracted. Chewy. Sweet, sappy, full of dark cherries. A masculine wine, almost syrah-like, I thought. I was really surprised by how much I liked this. Particularly as the last bottle I tried seemed well past its prime.

Very nice, lighter Pinot. Plenty of fruit and complexity