2020 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander

AVAILABLE ON DECEMBER 6, 2024 FOR THE FIRST TIME

Au Bon Climat has the slogan: "An homage to the wines of Burgundy" and that sums it up well. The Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander from the Santa Maria Valley is a wine from the Blue Series of Au Bon Climat. Blue series wines are the wines they like to show and are most proud of.

Tasting notes
The Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander refined, layered Pinot Noir. Aromas of cherry, cranberry, red currant and dark chocolate come to the fore, with an intriguing hint of forest floor deep in the wine. The flavours continue to develop, starting with raspberry and moving to dark cocoa. In the background there is French oak, vanilla and balanced tannins.

Winemaker Notes
As with all our Pinot Noirs, we start by hand-harvesting in the vineyard. Each Pinot Noir is fermented in 5-ton open-top fermenters and punched twice daily. This method ensures that the grape skins that float to the top during fermentation are re-mixed with the juice to extract the best aromas of the Pinot grapes. For this vintage, 25% of the grapes were fermented whole bunch, which is exceptional for a Knox bottling. The wine is dry-pressed and then placed in French François Frères oak barrels where it is aged on fine lees for 22 months. The elements of whole bunch fermentation and new wood are beautifully balanced in the wine. A strict barrel selection was carried out to select the best lots for the Knox bottling. The 2020 harvest was large, allowing us to choose from a wider range of barrels. The 2020 is one of our best vintages, with an "exuberant" character, intensity, balance and complexity.

Background story
Named after Jim Clendenen’s son Knox, this wine is a blend of our best lots from the Santa Maria Valley appellation. The majority of the 2020 vintage (86.5%) comes from the prestigious Bien Nacido vineyard. Block 2 of Bien Nacido was planted in 1994 with Pinot Noir, primarily clone 115. This vineyard has a southwest exposure, ideal for morning sun, although the Santa Maria fog often blocks the sun. Another premium block of Pinot Noir at Bien Nacido is Block 11, which was planted in 1997 with clones 667, 777, 115, 2A, Swan and Jackson and has a steep northwest slope. The remaining 13.5% of the grapes for this vintage come from the Runway vineyard, located adjacent to Bien Nacido. Although close, the Pinot Noir from this location has a much deeper, richer, darker fruit character.

The use of whole bunches is rare for a Knox bottling. The large harvest in 2020 allowed us to carefully select the best barrels. The wine has a more "exuberant" character with good intensity for a young wine that will continue to develop in the coming years.

About the Blue Series from Au Bon Climat

Blue Series wines are the wines they like to show and are most proud of. They are all made from the best cuvées from impressive vineyards and get the highest percentage of new French oak. Traditionally, the Blue Series includes a Chardonnay, "Nuits Blanche", a White Blend "Hildegard" and two Pinot Noirs, "Isabelle" and "Knox Alexander". The Blue Series also includes special bottlings such as "Larmes de Grappe" and Anniversary wines. As the official exclusive importer of Au Bon Climat, we of course carry these wines.

FACT: In the tab 'Attachments' you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will automatically send you this when you order this wine. The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will often also receive a nice discount . You will see your discount immediately when you choose 'Pick up' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht almost next to the A16 with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.