Au Bon Climat is a pioneering Santa Barbara winery founded by Jim Clendenen, celebrated for its Burgundian sensibility and commitment to balance, food-friendliness and age-worthy structure. Rather than chasing ripeness or power, the estate has long focused on restraint and nuance, earning a cult following for wines that translate California sunshine through a distinctly Old World lens.
The 2018 Au Bon Climat Knox Alexander is richly aromatic yet poised, opening with black cherry, blackberry and plum layered with notes of violets, baking spice, cocoa and subtle oak. On the palate it is full-bodied but controlled, with polished tannins, fresh acidity and a long, savoury finish that weaves dark fruit, spice and mineral tones into a refined, harmonious whole.
★★★★★★★☆☆
Rating: 7 out of 9 stars
Sommelier diary #83
