Wednesday, March 18, 2009

2006 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County

So on the way to see the tax man tonight, we didn't even think about grabbing a bottle of wine to hit a BYO after dinner. That being said, so we stopped along the way at Windsor Wine & Spirits II, found in a strip mall on the east side of Route 130, and picked up this wine for $22.99. Definitely not the cheapest I have found this wine, but all of their other pinot seemed to have a $5-$10 markup over other stores, so this wasn't all that bad.
As I have said before, I like my pinot served around cellar temp, ad letting it warm up in the glass. This wine from the get go seemed extremely warm, and it really took a while for me to get used to it. Once I did however, it was a decent wine.
On the nose, it seemed like your typical Santa Maria pinot, with hints of strawberry, cherries, and plum. There is also a bit of stale earth on the nose here as well, but it is not offensive in the least.
On the palate, at first I was overwhelmed with the tannic bit and alcohol. Once this blew off however with some swirling, it was very pleasant, with some sour black cherry, and other berry fruits. The finish mellowed out, and although not long or complex, it was pleasant. This wine got a point better once we were home and ithad been opened for about 2 hours.
Overall, I think this is a great wine in the $15 range, and a decent QPR at $20, however, at that price I would rather drink the Iris from Oregon. All in all, a decent wine worthy of 87 points. Cheers!

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