Among the first futures programs we have each year are the wines of Au Bon Climat and Qupé. Both wineries are owned by close friends of the Duke and produce some of California's finest wines.

Located on the California Central Coast in the Santa Maria Valley, both ABC and Qupé have attained world-class status. Their wines are sold around the globe at many of the world's finest wine shops and restaurants. They are featured regularly in newspapers and magazines all across America.

On the Duke's recent road trip, we visited both Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist at their unique, under-one-roof winery and tasted many, many upcoming releases. We are pleased to offer these wines on future or near-future.

Most all of the wines are discounted up to 20% or more from their release prices. The only catch is that you have to purchase at least three bottles of a particular wine to receive the futures price. See each wine's write-up for pricing information.

Believe us when we say these are all superior wines and deserve your attention. You are welcome to call and speak to any one of our staff members and they will be happy to help you make your selections.

Thank you for taking the time to read the following notes.

Au Bon Climat 2003 Chardonnay, Sanford & Benedict - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $30.00; Futures Price $24.00
This wine harks back to Au Bon Climat's "roots," being one of the first vineyards that furnished fruit for Jim's winemaking efforts. Burgundian in sensibility with California style is one way of describing Clendenen's Chardonnays. Structure and restraint melded with bountiful opulence is another. In the glass, the wine begins with almonds and fruit on the nose. The palate is filled with fruit and crisp acidity and the complexity is enhanced by well-integrated oak. A tasty wine with juicy acidity, smooth edges and a lingering finish that is showing very nicely.

Au Bon Climat 2003 Chardonnay, Mt. Carmel - September 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $50.00 Futures Price $34.00
At first taste, one immediately thinks of a big Montrachet. Jim says, "Think Grand Cru Batard." Hazelnuts and smoke along with apples/green-apples fill the nose. The wine is rich on the palate with some lemon oil notes and a delicious mineral quality. Here is a perfect complement to food. Made from low-yielding vines (less than a ton per acre), it is very Burgundian in style with full flavors and lots of layers. The wine is in very limited supply with only 75 cases made. Check out the special futures price; you save 32%!

Au Bon Climat 2003 Chardonnay, Nuits Blanches au Bauge - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $35.00; Futures Price $28.00
Fruit from both Le Bon Climat Vineyard and famed Bien Nacido Vineyard is the source of this wine. 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 lasting. We tasted it and . . .WOW!! The Burgundian influence is obvious in this delicious wine.

Au Bon Climat 2003 Hildegard - September 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $35.00; Futures Price $28.00
A well-balanced blend of 55% Pinot Beurot (Gris), 40% Pinot Blanc and 5% Aligoté, this is Jim Clendenen's best estimate of the original ninth-century Corton-Charlemagne wine. It is a deep, beautiful gold color with a full nose. There are some overtones of lemon on the palate with nuances of oak and good acid. It is a rich, elegant wine of deliciously supple texture and deceptive complexity with solid acidity and a long, smooth finish. This is the most unique wine from Au Bon Climat. Jim says, "This is the best wine I make."

Ici/La-Bas 2003 Chardonnay, Philippine, Dennison Vineyard - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $25.00 Futures Price $19.99
Ici/La-Bas translates roughly from French as "here and there" and was chosen partly because Jim wanted to make great wine without necessarily being tied to one vineyard site. The Burgundian barrel maker François Frères is his partner in this venture. Here is another wine that is reminiscent of Burgundy, specifically Chassagne. The vineyard yields were incredibly low, about a quarter-ton per acre. The wine has a delicious, fruity nose with loads of flavors on the palate. It is highly concentrated and substantial without being weighty, with good acidity and great definition. Only 175 6-packs were produced, so it, too, is in very short supply.

Au Bon Climat 2004 Pinot Noir, La Bauge au Dessus - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $30.00; Futures Price $24.00
This is a tasty wine with good acid and firm tannins. It has some floral notes, spice and earth in the nose and plenty of fruit on the palate. Full and rich with flavors of blackberries and warm spice, this Pinot is a crowd pleaser. It is a classic Santa Barbara Pinot at its best . . . easy-drinking with a price/quality ratio that is hard to beat.

Au Bon Climat 2004 Pinot Noir, Sanford & Benedict - September 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $50.00; Futures Price $39.99
The 2004 S&B has solid structure as is typical of this vineyard. It has a lovely dark garnet color with floral notes accompanying a hint of herbs in the nose. Still somewhat tight, it has the taste of a top-flight Echézeaux as well as a long, interesting finish. This is a wonderful, single-vineyard wine from the Santa Rita Hills AVA.

Au Bon Climat 2004 Pinot Noir, Talley Rincon - September 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $40.00; Futures Price $32.00
Talley Rincon is a big fleshy wine (think Chambertin) with a rich nose, dark fruit flavors and hints of game and earth. This is a big, yet accessible, wine with a finish that lasts. It is dark garnet in color with spice and incense notes to accompany the loads of fruit on the palate. A real "blockbuster"! (Limited production of less than 250 6-pack cases.)

Au Bon Climat 2004 Pinot Noir, Old World Rules - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $25.00; Futures Price $19.99
This is a new effort from the "Mind Behind" at Au Bon Climat. The name reflects Jim's thought that since he made the wine according to Old World "rules" (methods), the Old World rules (dominates). The wine has a dark ruby color and is both earthy and fruity on the nose with an element of wet stone. It is a big, full-bodied and full-of-everything Pinot Noir (think Morey-St. Denis) with a definite mineral component. A perfect wine for those who love the hint of forest floor in their Pinot Noir.

Au Bon Climat 2004 Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $35.00; Futures Price $28.00
Santa Rita Hills covers the western, cooler part of Santa Ynez Valley. These vineyards are closer to the influence of the Pacific Ocean, planted with rootstocks and clones that match the terroir. Most are on south-facing slopes, where they receive more sun so the grapes can ripen better in the cool climate. Most of these vineyards produce only 1 to 2 tons per acre, typically rendering intense, dark-colored wines. The Santa Rita Hills AVA is 100 square miles of heaven for Pinot Noir. Clendenen's effort is blended from Mt. Carmel Vineyard, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard and Le Bon Climat, owned by Jim, himself. This is a delicious Pinot Noir that is nothing short of heavenly. It is a medium-ruby color with a lovely nose of wood and fruit. The dark fruit continues on the palate with good acidity and a long, dry finish.

Au Bon Climat 2004 Pinot Noir, Isabelle Morgan - September 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $50.00; Futures Price $39.99
Named for Jim's daughter, Isabelle Morgan is a selection of the best barrels of the 2004 vintage. The aromas and flavors are rich and intense with sweet oak and vanilla overtones. The palate pleases with chocolate and dark fruit notes and the finish is long and elegant. The solid structure of this wine will provide drinking enjoyment for a decade or more. While most Au Bon Climat Pinots are vineyard-specific, Isabelle is created by masterful blending in the cellar using the best barrels from those specific sites (Bien Nacido, Sanford & Benedict, Talley Rincon, Mt. Carmel...the proportions are a proprietary secret). The result is a wine of incredible depth, complexity, and focus - very serious Pinot. A brilliant effort worthy of space in any cellar, it will live for years.

Au Bon Climat 2004 Pinot Noir, Knox Alexander - September 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $45.00; Futures Price $36.00
This one is named for Jim's son and is a blend of Dijon and American clones of Pinot Noir from choice vineyard sites in the famed Bien Nacido Vineyard. Sweet cherry aromas and flavors permeate the nose and palate. The wine is very smooth textured, having firm, but soft tannins. The finish is outstanding with lingering fruit. Lush, velvety, creamy, bursting with berries, fragrant flowers, and soft wafts of vanilla, the 2004 Knox is a wine for hedonists.

Chaparral 2004 Pinot Noir - Currently available
List Price $22.50; Duke's Price $17.99 - Buy 6 or more for $15.99 per bottle
Made especially for the Duke of Bourbon by Jim Clendenen, this wine is American in style with a medium-to-dark purple color and a beautiful black cherry nose. It has loads of sweet fruit on the palate and is fairly complex, especially considering the affordability of the wine. Relatively low acidity, good alcohol content and nuances of oak make it perfect for drinking in the short term.

White Wines from Qupé
(Pictured - Bob Lindquist, center,
flanked by Darrahl and Doug from the Duke)

Qupé 2004 Chardonnay, Bien Nacido Reserve, Block 11 - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $27.50; Futures Price $22.00
This wine is 100% Chardonnay from Block Eleven, a custom, hillside planting at Bien Nacido, planted in 1997 exclusively for Qupé. From this vineyard site, Bob Lindquist has made a very rich, succulent wine that is ideal with many different dishes. Toasty oak and minerals on the nose and tasty, lemony custard flavors on the palate lead to a long finish with hints of butterscotch from malolactic fermentation. This is a mouth-coating wine, but it still sits lively on the palate, creamy and juicy with lovely oak and tropical fruit; long, complex and luscious.

Qupé 2004 Roussanne, Bien Nacido Hillside Estate - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $40.00; Futures Price $32.00
This wine is 100% Roussanne from Block 10 at Bien Nacido Vineyard. It was whole-cluster pressed and completely barrel-fermented before being put through malolactic fermentation. To lend richness and complexity, it was aged on the lees for 11 months. It is big and exotic with aromas of honeysuckle, orange rind, almonds, minerals and a hint of smokiness. A velvety mouth-feel, a big robe of fruit and vibrant acidity lead to a pleasant finish. A great value for a limited-production wine (160 6-packs).

Red Wines from Qupé

Qupé 2004 Syrah, Alisos Canyon - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $35.00; Futures Price $28.00
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 dishes with intense flavors in the sauce. Spicy, with loads of character, full body, and a long finish, this is a Syrah that will get your full attention.

Qupé 2004 Syrah, Purisima Mountain - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $35.00; Futures Price $28.00
Here, too, is a full-bodied wine of elegance and strength, a real blockbuster. The dense 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 tannins. A long, lingering finish completes the experience. Production is limited to 120 cases of this stylish Syrah.

Qupé 2004 Syrah, Stolpman - April 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $35.00; Futures Price $28.00
Another Syrah of elegance and strength, this wine is from the Tablas Creek (think Château Beaucastel) clone, which seems especially well-suited to Stolpman's terroir. The deep ruby/purple-colored 2004 Syrah Stolpman Vineyard reveals a briary, mountain fruit-scented bouquet with notions of blackberries, forest floor, and floral notes in the background. This is a dense, full-bodied wine with well-integrated wood, tannins and acidity and plenty of texture. Only 100 cases made.

Qupé 2004 Syrah, Bien Nacido Hillside Estate - September 15, 2006 Release
Release Price $40.00; Futures Price $32.00
"BNHE" is winemaker Bob Lindquist's flagship wine, an estate-produced, world-class Syrah from one of the original Rhône Rangers. This is a rich and concentrated wine with notes of game and smoke on the nose. The palate is a medley of dark fruit with a touch of white pepper. Good acid and sweet tannins lend it superb balance. The finish is exceptionally long and lingering. It is probably the most Rhône-like of Qupé's Syrahs. Less than 700 cases of this sensational wine is available for the wine-loving population.

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