Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir California Isabelle 2018

95 points John Gilman (View From The Cellar): "The 2018 vintage of Cuvée Isabelle comes in at a refined octane level of 13.5 percent and offers up its customary superb complexity on both the nose and palate. The wine’s aromatic constellation consists of scents of sweet dark berries, black plums, bonfire, gamebird, raw cocoa, a fine base of dark soil, lovely spice tones, a hint of anise and a nice framing of cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and new oaky in style, with a fine core of fruit, excellent soil undertow, ripe, fine-grained tannins, tangy acids and excellent focus and grip on the very long, seamless and nascently complex finish. This is going to be superb with sufficient bottle age, but it needs a good decade or so in the cellar before it will really start to stir. 2031-2080. (Sept/Oct 2021)"

Producer notes: "Just released, Isabelle is a knockout every vintage. Why? It is comprised of only the best cuvees from 6 different vineyards. Consequently, it is consistently our top performing Pinot Noir year to year. Dried cherry, raspberry tart, spicy oak, and hints of earth and forest floor all emerge from the glass."