2016 Los Alamos Vineyard Pinot Noir - Au Bon Climat

Maraschino cherry, clean white mushroom, raspberry perfume. Pulverized strawberry, tree bark, candied cranberry. Fresh lavender and dry leaves, nutmeg and salted graham cracker. Red licorice drizzled in pomegranate extract & other sappy red fruit dominates the profile, as cardamom and subtle spices cower meekly in the background. Fruit forward and perhaps a bit obvious, but presenting just enough undergrowth and sandy loam to express a sense of place. This 2016 Los Alamos Vineyard Pinot Noir by Au Bon Climat is a unique wine from one of Santa Barbara's least talked about cool-climate growing zones.

Los Alamos is a quaint old western town off the beaten path in Santa Barbara's wine country. The main strip of downtown Los Alamos still boast old buildings and even hotels from the 1800's, and it is quickly becoming known as a unique and quiet place to escape to. The land surrounding the town is dominated by vineyards, although interestingly there is no formal Los Alamos sub-appellation set up yet. Currently all fruit grown here can only be labeled as "Santa Barbara County" but that should be changing soon. This bottling, crafted by Au Bon Climat using 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the Los Alamos Vineyard just west of downtown, provides a great example of what makes this zone different than other nearby appellations. This wine is expressive and surprisingly fruit driven exhibiting bright and slightly saturated red berries, with a profile less spiced than the Santa Maria Valley and less saline than the Santa Rita Hills. This stuff is straightforward, juicy, and fun, although it might lack some of the complexity of this producer's other offerings. We enjoyed it nonetheless and look forward to seeing Los Alamos getting its AVA status in the near future.