Bob McDonald

9.2

Notes of Toffee Apple initially - a little reductive to begin with. Pale dirty crimson - transparent in parts - quite Burgundian in colour. A light to medium weight palate but Medium intensity. Like a good Village, verging on Premier Cru. Interesting and tasty but needing about 4 or 5 years more to develop complexity. Jim Chatto is regarded as one of Australia’s best winemakers having been in charge at Mt Pleasant in the Hunter Valley and now running his own show in Tasmania. Had a 2nd bottle 147 weeks later on 9th August 2025 - very pale Ruby in colour. Confectionery red fruit, jubey nose and palate. Sweet and savoury simultaneously. An excellent Tasmanian Pinot Noir. Had the last bottle on 12th April 2026. Very satisfying. — 4 years ago

Doug Powers

9.4

This is just so lovely, cool climate, deft touch of oak, layers of complexity, long finish, just a brilliant effort by Florida Jim, my only regret is I didn’t buy more!! — 6 years ago

with Jim

SK

9.3

Fabulous table wine. The Australian version of The Chocolate Block. Affordable too. From Wine Rack in Belsize. — 6 years ago

Kristen Kachel

9.3

Easy smooth red — 7 years ago

Rob

9.1

Jim Clendenen & Emeril Lagasse dinner through the Triangle Wine Experience - great magnum — 8 years ago

Phillip Antley

9.2

Big and spicy. Tastes it’s age, but has a lot of depth. — 8 years ago

Neal Schaffer

9.0

Uniqueness describes this wine perfectly. Almost completely clear with a intense glimmer, the nose fills with super ripe sour cherries and creamy raspberries. The palate is filled with strawberry vanilla cream, nectarines, and sweet dried cherries. It keeps the Barbara characteristics, but shows sweetness and a vibrant sense of rebirth. Spring is here, and this gives you a great transition from winter to spring. I could see this pairing with spicy food perfectly. Only on a Tuesday! #nakedwines — 9 years ago

with Dana

Curtis

8.9

The first day of opening this wine it was harsh and stuffy. I was not impressed. However, on the second day, this wine opened up and became very light and flavorful - a juicy Pinot Noir of jammy cherry and berries. — 4 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.1

I believe this is a relatively new project for Jim - great execution as always — 6 years ago

Jonathan Shoup

9.0

Dark, cherry and delicious! See you next time — 6 years ago

with Jennifer

Chris Haywood

9.3

Wow, acid is here and that's for sure. Utterly refreshing, peppery lime nose. Grapefruit, gave, bitter lime but all very balanced. I could drink a bucket. — 7 years ago

Palmer Emmitt

Owner/Winemaker Judge Palmer

9.0

Really nice balance of black fruit and earth. Rich mouthfeel and nice ripe character for a Petit Verdot that’s only 13.4% alc. Cool wine. — 7 years ago

David L

9.3

13’ Au Bon Climat Nuits- Blanches Au Bouge (On That Road Again) Chardonnay.
Decant this for 30 minutes. Honestly I’ve really never had a Chardonnay quite like this one.

Baked apple, lemon, lime, white flowers,definite oak treatment. It all seems to work. Truly an enjoyable wine. Jim has been making outstanding wines for 35+ years. Reasonably priced and delicious. Could possibly get even better with another year in bottle.
— 8 years ago

Justin Chiotti

8.9

Pretty good. Not too big (staying consistent with Jim Clendenson's Burgundy approach). I'm gunna have to remember this one. — 9 years ago

Laura Purdy

9.0

This is a beautiful Bordeaux blend from the brilliant Jim Law. — 5 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.0

My Sunday night wine I have gone back to a favorite of mine that is not going to break the bank and is consistently good. I have opened the Jim Clendenon 2018 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County.

On the nose there is raspberry, cranberry, cherry, spice vanilla anise, clove and earthiness.

On the palate I detect good red fruit, raspberry, cherry, cranberry, red currant, anise, clove and earthiness.

The wine is medium bodied with medium + acidity and medium fine tannins that leads into a long fresh red fruit finish. Another well blended wine from Jim Clendenon that i have come to expect. I hope everyone's weekend was a good one and we are all still safe and healthy. Have a great week, Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 5 years ago

Connor Smith

9.5

#Nebbiolo is a surprisingly rare grape. Even in its native Piedmont, it accounts for only 8% of vineyard land. There are fewer than 100 hectares planted in the United States. 🕵️‍♂️🍇
Over 80% of prewar Italian immigrants came from Sicily and Southern Italy. Piedmont was the wealthiest and most politically dominant region. But if fortunes were reversed, could Nebbiolo have taken Primitivo/Zinfandel’s place as a grape relatively uncommon on the boot but dominant in California? 🤔🇮🇹🇺🇸
Probably not. The Nebbiolo vine is *not* for beginners. It flowers early and ripens late, making it susceptible to both spring and autumn frosts. It loves the occasional fog bath (some say the name is derived from ‘nebbia’, Italian for fog ☁️☁️☁️) but is prone to the mildew that may result from such humid conditions. Its fussiness would make Pinot Noir blush: it demands southwesterly exposure, a proper gradient, constant sun above, and fog licking at its toes. #diva
Sound anything like California’s Central Coast? 🌅
In the Santa Maria Valley, where the East-West Transverse Range bends back into the North-South Coastal Range, it’s possible. Vineyard selection still requires extreme discretion - an eye like @JimClendenen’s, perhaps.
Jim began the Nebbiolo program at the legendary #BienNacido vineyard in 1994. Production is small, but if you track down his “The Pip” Nebbiolo, it will only run you about $30. You’ll believe anything is possible when you have real California Nebbiolo of this quality come wafting out of the glass at you! 🙌🙌
🏞.“The Pip” is named after Jim’s old cellar dog Pip, a border collie. So it only seemed right to include one of our own pips! 🐈 — 7 years ago

Phil Castellano

9.4

Love the intensity of this stuff! Too bad this is a gift for my departing colleague.... — 8 years ago

Paul Weil

8.9

Another above-the-fold headline scoop from "Superman's Pal"! This is a dense, jammy blend with slimy smooth body. The rich dark cherry, red raspberry, and black currant flavors balance nicely. It works well as an after-dinner digestive wine. — 9 years ago

Greg Dorchak

8.9

Very oaky and smoky — 9 years ago