A lovely Nebbiolo from Clendenen Family Vineyards

In 2010, only 62 hectares was planted to Nebbiolo in California, and of that just one hectare is found in the famous Bien Nacido Vineyard in the northeastern corner of Santa Maria Valley. The vines were planted in 1994 and gives two wines, the lovely Nebbiolo Bricco Buon Natale and the even more impressive Nebbiolo Punta Esclamativa.

   It is said that it takes a lot of knowledge and wine appreciation to understand the wine world, and to even get close to what a varietal wine or a blend from a specific wine region or even smaller appellation tastes like. In most cases, unless we talk about world class wines from the best winemakers in the world, that precise knowledge isn't there.

   Over the last two decades, when I have travelled the wine world, I have heard thousands of times that "this is our Chablis styled Chardonnay", and "this is so Montrachet-like", and "this is just like the greatest wines of Médoc", och "a great Tempranillo" and, not too often though, "our very finest Barolo-styled Nebbiolo". And in an overwhelming majority of these cases, are there very small similarities, if any at all.

   However, it doesn't take more than a small chat with legendary Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat and his more recent Clendenen Family Vineyards, to realize that he knows what he is talking about and that he really knows the world of wine. And if you're not lucky enough to meet him and talk to him, the answer is in the bottle. The guy knows the world of fine wine!

2003 Nebbiolo Punta Esclamativa / 91 p

This is a one hundred percent Nebbiolo from two small lots of nine year old Nebbiolo vines, fermented in small tanks with a total of three weeks of skin contact, then matured in 500 liter French oak barrels during the for Barolo wines typical time of four years. Alcohol level is, according to the label, 13.5 percent, and I have no reason to think that this isn't true. There's no traces of sweet alcohol or alcohol warmth in the taste.

  I poured this wine blind at 15 degrees Celsius in Burgundy shaped glasses to a handful of top sommeliers, and some of them went directly to Nebbiolo. That's a good sign, and I totally understand that. The others placed it in Santa Barbara County, mostly for its intense red fruit flavors, riper fruit and lively acidity, and besides the tannins, they thought it was a great Pinot Noir. Not too bad either, to me Nebbiolo and its great wines from Barolo and Barbaresco is the burgundian wine style of Italy.

   At first, the fruit scent was a bit "warmer" in style, so one sommelier suggested it could be the warmer 2003 vintage in Piedmont, and that both the acidity and tannic structure was a bit leaner than in the Italian wines, and that's a good comment. Still the variety character is there, true and without no doubt very typical. Red fruit, sun ripe raspberries, rose petals, a hint of fine tobacco, even that small note of that rubber I find so attractive in Barolos and Barbarescos, and those characters became much more prominent after some hours in the decanter, to be even more true "Barolo like" after 24 hours in the decanter! There's just a small sweetish note of the oak, but still on a very moderate level, and a slightly riper fruit than in the Piedmontese counterparts.

   Based on the fact that the wine is now nine years old and that it took around a day for it in the decanter to really open up, my guess is that it should age beautifully another decade or even more. Still I think it will be at its best, with all its lovely and already complex aromas, the coming six years from now. Serve it at around 16-17 degrees Celsius, but decant it before!

Drink it 2012-2018

2006 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir from Au Bon Climat

The Bien Nacido Vineyard is one of the greatest in California. It’s situated on a long west facing slope in the northeastern part of Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County. There are no estate wines made from this vineyard, which is owned by the Miller family. Instead they farm approximately 365 hectares of vines here, predominately Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, to sell the grapes to more than 50 wine producers all over California. Some of them, like Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat who built his warehouse looking winery in the northwestern corner of the vineyard, farm their own contracted blocks. Jim works mostly with K Block in the inner parts of the vineyard, planted to Chardonnay, but he also buy Pinot Noir of both Dijon clones and old Californian clones from different blocks in the vineyard.
Jim Clendenen is one of the pioneers for pinot wines in California, and his philosophy is strict and based on old school burgundian techniques. Hi insists that the his grapes, whites or reds, should not be harvested at higher maturation levels than 24.5 Brix, which results in wines with a moderate alcohol level (normally around 13 percent) and a lively natural acidity. Grapes are fully destemmed, and after a few days of cold soak, the juice starts to ferment with its natural yeast, and he utilizes remontage in the early stage of the fermentation and pigeage to the end to allow a more gentle extraction from the skins. Fermentation temperature reaches 35 or even 37 degress Celsius, which is relatively high, but not unusual in Burgundy. The wine is then transferred into French oak barrels of 228 liters, and only from the cooper François Frères, for malolactic fermentation and 12-20 months of ageing.

2006 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir / 91 p
As all pinots of Au Bon Climat, this wine has a classic structure and aroma profile. Still young, it’s a bit closed on the nose, yet lovely with a fine perfume of both sweet and sour red berries, as well as a more earthy and complex note. Oak is never, or at least rarely, found in the wines from this winery, and there is no exception from that rule in this wine. On the palate, it’s young and intensely fruit forward, still dry and with the typical elegance, fresh acidity and silky body that is so significant for Jim’s wines. The structure is quite burgundian like, and even if the tannins are silky and very elegant, the lively acidity and (and not overripe fruit) will make the wine keep, and even develop into gracefulness over the coming years.
As we decanted this wine a few minutes before serving it, and also used a typical large Burgundy styled glass, it really opened up after just ten minutes. Serving temperature should be at 15-16 degress Celsius to capture the finesse of the wine.
Drink it 2010-2018.