Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander Santa Maria Valley 2009

Lush, velvety, creamy, bursting with berries, fragrant flowers, and soft wafts of vanilla, the 2001 Knox is a wine for hedonists. Made from 50% Dijon clones and 50% traditional California selections planted by Jim Clendenen at the higher elevations of Bien Nacido Vineyard, this wine seems to grow in stature with every vintage- much like Jims own son, Knox, who lends the wine his name. - Winery

Bright red. Raspberry and cherry aromas are lifted by a note of fresh rose, with complicating notes of smoky minerals and Asian spices. Lithe, precise and sweet, conveying a sense of power without weight. The wines high-pitched notes of red berries, blood orange and minerals linger on a long and strikingly precise finish. This is a selection of lots from the Bien Nacido vineyard.

Light red. Musky aromas of strawberry, raspberry and dried flowers. Sweet on entry, then vibrant and spicy in the middle, with juicy red berry and cherry flavors. Dusty tannins add support and carry through a tightly focused and slightly dusty finish. Gains sweetness with aeration as well as more flesh; I'd hold off opening this for a few more years.

ST: 90 Points

The dryness, crispness and overall elegance of this Pinot Noir make it compelling. It's a miracle how it manages to be so low in alcohol, yet so rich. Dusty Asian spices like nutmeg and cinnamon accentuate flavors of mashed red cherries, red currants, cola and cedar, with a tease of rosehip tea. Shows extraordinary tension. Drink now-2012. - S.H. Medium red. Suave, restrained nose offers spicy, tightly wound red berry and cherry aromas. Floral and incense notes arrive with air and carry onto the palate, which shows sweet, focused raspberry and dried cherry flavors, along with a kick of peppery spice on the back end. This shut down with air but the glimpse it offered was pretty promising. Mixes savory herb and dried berry with touches of leather, spice, anise and floral notes, making this full-bodied, ending with a delicate, trim finish. Drink now through 2012. 600 cases made. -JL