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Cheers from the Duke of Bourbon!

WARNING!! This email is a bit longer than our usual note. We suggest that you print it out so you can take time to read all of the great information we have for you. Be sure to see what we have to say about Jim Clendenen's very special Pinot Noir, "Larmes de Grappe." So load up the printer and hit that funny looking button (stay away from that "X"). We can't be responsible for the neck pain from tilting back the head to make the bifocals work.

The Duke tasting team recently made the annual "futures" visit to the Au Bon Climat/Qupe winery in Santa Maria to taste the 2002 wines still in barrels. These wines are always impressive and the 2002 vintage is no exception. We most definitely are pleased, honored and excited to present our futures offering of the 2002 wines from Au Bon Climat and Qupe.

Great vintages often occur back-to-back - 1985-86 and 1989-90 are two recent examples of this phenomenon. The 2001 vintage was extolled in our program last year and the 2002 vintage appears to be a repeat. The vintage was characterized by lower-than-normal yields, even in the lowest-yielding areas of the vineyards. The wines are compact with even more intensity than 2001. 2002 might be termed "a critic's vintage."

Au Bon Climat - Classic Whites

Au Bon Climat 2002 Hildegard - August 2004 Release
Price $35.00; Futures Price $27.99

A well-balanced blend of 55% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc and 5% Aligoté, this is Jim Clendenen's best estimate of the original ninth-century Corton Charlemagne wine. It has a deep, beautiful gold color, a full nose and overtones of lemon on the palate with good acid and nuances of oak. Renowned wine writer Dan Berger names it in his list of the top four interesting wines. Clendenen himself declares, "This is the best wine I make!"

Au Bon Climat 2002 Chardonnay, Sanford & Benedict - August 2004 Release
Price $25.00; Futures Price $19.99

This wine harkens back to Au Bon Climat's "roots," as Sanford & Benedict was one of the first vineyards that furnished fruit for Jim's winemaking efforts, and it is his best effort from that vineyard since 1997. This lovely wine, clear yellow in color with a rich creamy nose, took 14 months to complete fermentation. The result is apparent - intense flavors, great acid and outstanding balance.

Au Bon Climat 2002 Chardonnay, Mt. Carmel - August 2004 Release
Price $35.00; Futures Price $27.99

At first taste of this wine, one immediately thinks of a big Chablis. Jim says, "Think Grand Cru Batard." The nose reflects hazelnuts and smoke along with green-apples. The wine is crisp on the palate and slightly austere with a delicious mineral quality - a perfect complement to food.

Au Bon Climat 2002 Chardonnay, Talley - August 2004 Release
Price $25.00; Futures Price $19.99

Lamentably, this is the last vintage that the Talley Vineyard will be available to Jim for Chardonnay. This final effort is certainly worthy. A rich, full nose leads to great fruit flavors on the palate with more creaminess evident than in previous vintages. The wine shows good oak, great acid and, overall, great balance

Au Bon Climat 2002 Chardonnay, Nuits Blanches au Bouge - August 2004 Release
Price $35.00; Futures Price $27.99

Jim declares that, "This wine is even better than the monumental 2001!" It is sourced from fruit from both Le Bon Climat Vineyard and the famed Bien Nacido Vineyard. It starts with a great nose with hints of citrus that leads to very complex fruit flavors on the palate. The finish is very long and lingering. When we tasted this wine, we just said, "WOW!!"

Au Bon Climat 2002 Chardonnay, Le Bon Climat - August 2004 Release
Price $50.00; Futures Price $39.99

Here is a wine that epitomizes the Burgundian style. Medium-deep gold in color, its expansive nose leads to a delicious taste on the palate that demonstrates good acidity, plenty of oak, near-perfect balance and a long, elegant finish.

Au Bon Climat - Pinot Noirs

Au Bon Climat 2002 Pinot Noir, Le Bon Climat - April 2004 Release
Price $25.00; Futures Price $19.99

Jim, himself, owns Le Bon Climat Vineyard. From that site, he has made a deep, ruby-colored wine with a full nose and great body. Truly a Burgundian-style wine, it has good acid and tannin structure to complement the beautiful, concentrated fruit flavors on the palate. An outstanding value!

Au Bon Climat 2002 Pinot Noir, La Bauge au Dessus - April 2004 Release
Price $30.00; Futures Price $23.99

This is a tasty wine with good acid and firm tannins. The nose offers floral notes, spice and herbs and plenty of fruit pleases the palate. The term "easy-drinking" comes to mind. Available in half-bottles at $150.00 per 12-pack.

Au Bon Climat 2002 Pinot Noir, Sanford & Benedict - August 2004 Release
Price $35.00; Futures Price $27.99

The 2002 S & B has the solid structure typical of this vineyard. It has a lovely ruby color with notes of anise and dried herbs in the nose. Still somewhat tight, it has the taste of a top-flight Pinot Noir with a long, interesting finish. Lots of history in this bottle!

Au Bon Climat 2002 Pinot Noir, Talley Rincon - August 2004 Release
Price $40.00; Futures Price $35.99

Talley Rincon is a big, fleshy wine (think Chambertin) with a rich nose, dark fruit flavors and hints of game and earth. It is amazingly accessible with a finish that lasts. Extremely limited production of less than 50 cases. 6-bottle limit, please!

Au Bon Climat 2002 Pinot Noir, Mt. Carmel - August 2004 Release
Price $50.00; Futures Price $39.99

Mt. Carmel was very stingy this year, yielding less than a ton of fruit per acre. The juice was fermented in whole grape clusters and the resultant wine is concentrated, dense and intense. The nose is full of fruit and the color is dark ruby. It is complex on the palate and the flavors stay with you through the long, exciting finish.

Au Bon Climat 2002 Pinot Noir, Isabelle Morgan - August 2004 Release
Price $50.00; Futures Price $44.99

Named for Jim's daughter, Isabelle Morgan is a selection of the best barrels of the 2002 vintage. The aromas and flavors are rich and intense with sweet oak and vanilla overtones. Chocolate and blueberry notes play on the palate and the finish is long and elegant. The solid structure of this wine will provide drinking enjoyment for a decade or more.

Au Bon Climat 2002 Pinot Noir, Knox Alexander - August 2004 Release
Price $45.00; Futures Price $35.99

This truly delicious wine is named for Jim's son and is a blend of Dijon and American clones of Pinot Noir from one of the best blocks in the famed Bien Nacido Vineyard. It exhibits sweet cherry aromas and flavors on the nose and palate with very smooth texture and firm, but soft, tannins. The finish is outstanding with lingering fruit.

Au Bon Climat 2001 Pinot Noir, 20th Harvest Selection, Larmes de Grappe August 2004 Release
Price $150.00; Futures Price $119.99

Here is a wine that may occur only once in a lifetime. Jim describes the fruit as "the most unique grapes I have seen." He goes on to say that this is the only time that he has ever seen fully lignified stems. As the fruit matures, the stems change from green to white to a woody texture, i.e. fully lignified. The fruit is fully mature at that point, but full lignification rarely happens. (Jim stated that he didn't expect to see this happen again in his lifetime.) It did happen in the higher elevations of this Santa Rita Hills Vineyard, but the sugars remained low enough to ferment out to only 13.5% alcohol even though the fruit was on the vine nearly a month longer than usual. He named it Larmes de Grappe, "tears of the whole cluster," because the grapes were fermented as whole clusters, including the stems. Exceptional maturity, extraordinarily low yields of about a half-ton per acre and normal sugars make this wine an incredible experience. The nose is pure essence of grapes and the wine is simply delicious and full of fruit on the palate. Those fruit flavors carry over to a long finish with hints of spice. Less than 700 bottles of this epic wine are available for the entire Pinot Noir-loving world. Don't miss out!! 6-bottle limit. First come, first served.

Qupe - Classic Whites

Qupe 2002 Chardonnay, Bien Nacido Reserve Block 11 - April 2004 Release
Price $25.00; Futures Price $19.99

By picking the grapes slightly riper than some vintners, Bob Lindquist has made a very rich, succulent wine. It shows toasty oak on the nose and tasty, lemony flavors on the palate. The long finish has hints of butterscotch from malolactic fermentation. Good acid and structure make this an ideal food wine.

Qupe 2002 Roussanne, Bien Nacido Vineyard - April 2004 Release
Price $25.00; Futures Price $19.99

Honeysuckle in the nose, citrus and hazelnuts on the palate and vibrant acidity are characteristics of this luscious wine. A velvety mouth-feel leads to a pleasant finish.

Qupe - Syrah, Syrah (Sorry, just couldn't help it.)

Qupe 2002 Syrah, Bien Nacido Vineyard - April 2004 Release
Price $25.00; Futures Price $19.99

Bob thinks that this is his "best Bien Nacido ever" and we agree. It is deep ruby with hints of smoke and game intermingled with the fruit of the nose. The dark and red fruit flavors on the palate are complemented by notes of pepper. This is a big wine with firm tannins and good acid.

Qupe 2002 Syrah, Alisos Vineyard - April 2004 Release
Price $35.00; Futures Price $27.99

This is another big, powerful wine that maintains an elegant character. Starting with a deep purple appearance, it moves on to dark fruit and earth in the nose. Along with good acid and tannic structure, one finds the typical dark fruit and pepper of Syrah on the palate. Here is a perfect complement for those meals with intense flavors in the sauce.

Qupe 2002 Syrah, Purisima Mountain - April 2004 Release
Price $35.00; Futures Price $27.99

Here, too, is a wine of elegance and strength. The dark purple color provides great visual appeal and the aromas of red fruit greet the nose. The taste of that fruit comes through on the palate along with the feel of good acid and sweet tannin. A long, lingering finish completes the experience.

Qupe 2002 Syrah, Bien Nacido Hillside Estate - August 2004 Release
Price $40.00; Futures Price $31.99

This is a classic Syrah from one of the greatest Syrah producers in the wine business. It is a rich and concentrated wine with notes of game and smoke on the nose. The palate is a medley of dark fruit. Good acid and sweet tannins lend this wine superb balance. The finish is exceptionally long and lingering. Be sure not to pass on this beauty.

Special offering of
2002 Bien Nacido Hillside Estate Syrah

Format	List Price	Futures Price
Magnum (1.5 Ltr)	$ 80.00	$ 64.00
Double Magnum (3 Ltr)	175.00	140.00
Jeroboam (5 Ltr)	285.00	228.00

Ordering
Minimum: 3-bottle order for each wine
(Larmes de Grappe - No minimum)
100% Deposit Required • April/August 2004 Releases


Save the date - March 23, 2004 - for the Wine Association's Central Coast 2002 Futures Tasting Seminar at the Warner Center Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills. The lucky folks in the Los Angeles area will be able to meet Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, Bob Lindquist of Qupe and Frank Ostini of Hitching Post Winery and taste some of their wines for themselves.

Don't delay! Gems like these sell quickly.

Think of fine wine! Think of the Duke!

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