REGION: Santa Barbera, California

VARIETIES: Pinot Noir

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

VITICULTURE: Conventional

YEAR: 2017

INFO:
Jim Clendenen really is the "Wild Boy" of Santa Barbera. After falling in love with the rolling hills of Burgundy during a year abroad from Pre-Law at the University of California, he convinced himself that wine, rather than the law, was where his true passion lay. Now one of the true characters of the Californian wine scene, winning praise from no lesser figures as Robert Parker and Oz Clarke. If you want to learn what great American wines taste like, look no further.

7 WORD WINE REVIEW:

Rich berries, sweet spices, gorgeously smooth tannins.