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, 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 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."

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, 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.

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

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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