2022 Berry Bros. & Rudd Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir by Au Bon Climat, California, USA

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating and, at times, infuriating wine grape in the world. However, when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape, which grows in small, tight bunches, performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone-based subsoils. It is more susceptible than other varieties to overcropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive, and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Santa Barbara County wine is among the most distinctive expressions of Californian wine, shaped by cool coastal climates and dramatic east–west valleys that funnel ocean fog far inland. Located on California’s Central Coast, just north of Los Angeles, the region has become world-class for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with around 6,000 hectares now planted.

The late Jim Clendenen founded Au Bon Climat (ABC) in 1982. He became famous for making pioneering wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on California’s Central Coast. He passed away in 2021 and is remembered as one of the most charismatic and influential people of his vinous generation.