The wines of Au Bon Climat are modern classics. The late, great Jim Clendenen – affectionately known as ‘wild boy’ on account of his extrovert nature, long curly hair, and bold, bright shirts – and his team have been making elegant and ageworthy Burgundian-inspired chardonnays and pinot noirs for more than 40 years (Jim always made a point of emphasising that it’s a team that makes the wine, not an individual). Founded in 1982 in Santa Barbara County, at a time when all the focus of California wine was on Napa and Sonoma, Au Bon Climat has paved the way for a new generation of California wine producers to embrace balance and restraint in their winemaking and to actively seek out cooler-climate parcels of vines.
Order by midday on Friday 25th April
I am delighted to offer the 2021 of Au Bon Climat La Bauge Au-dessus pinot today in bond, a wine which exudes the Au Bon Climat style, channelling Burgundy in its poise and balancing ripe fruit with bracing acidity and seamlessly integrated French oak. The 2021 vintage (a year I love across California for its stunning freshness) is made from fruit grown entirely in the famous Bien Nacido vineyard and is displaying captivating perfume and significant complexity of flavour already. Undoubtedly you could drink La Bauge this year, but it will benefit and blossom with cellaring for up to a decade. Unlike the connotations of its name – La Bauge Au-dessus translates as a 'wild party upstairs' – there is great subtlety here, and brilliant fruit clarity.
As a relatively recent convert to buying in bond myself (my initiation began just two years ago), for me the beauty of buying this way (and subsequently storing in Members’ Reserves) is the lack of temptation to drink wine I have intentionally bought for the future too early, plus it gives me access to perfect storage conditions that I do not have at home! Delaying paying duty and VAT until I am ready to have the wines delivered is a bonus which helps spread the cost of my wine purchases.
