MoB

9.0

2022 vintage - smooth and delicious — 5 months ago

Doug Powers

9.2

Medium-dark red-purple color, beautiful redfruit aromas and flavors, with medium-toast oak showing as a seasoning the background, pretty sound structure and backbone, solid acidity, long, lingering finish, excellent California mountain Merlot (w/25% Cabernet Sauvignon). The sheer quality and complexity of this bottle is a wonderful tribute to the vision of Barbara and Jim Richards, who I am certain would be very proud, with Paloma now being ably run by their son Sheldon and his family. — 6 months ago

with Jim

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Dark ruby color with purple highlights. Aromas of black and blue fruit, violets, roasted meat, spices, wet stones and tobacco. Flavors of blackberry, blueberry, black raspberry, roasted herbs, black pepper and black olives. Long and savory finish. Complex and very “Northern Rhône-like.” Full bodied, lively and just the right amount of tannin. Excellent! — a year ago

Curtis

8.9

The first day of opening this wine it was harsh and stuffy. I was not impressed. However, on the second day, this wine opened up and became very light and flavorful - a juicy Pinot Noir of jammy cherry and berries. — 4 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.0

My Sunday night wine I have gone back to a favorite of mine that is not going to break the bank and is consistently good. I have opened the Jim Clendenon 2018 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County.

On the nose there is raspberry, cranberry, cherry, spice vanilla anise, clove and earthiness.

On the palate I detect good red fruit, raspberry, cherry, cranberry, red currant, anise, clove and earthiness.

The wine is medium bodied with medium + acidity and medium fine tannins that leads into a long fresh red fruit finish. Another well blended wine from Jim Clendenon that i have come to expect. I hope everyone's weekend was a good one and we are all still safe and healthy. Have a great week, Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 6 years ago

Connor Smith

9.5

#Nebbiolo is a surprisingly rare grape. Even in its native Piedmont, it accounts for only 8% of vineyard land. There are fewer than 100 hectares planted in the United States. 🕵️‍♂️🍇
Over 80% of prewar Italian immigrants came from Sicily and Southern Italy. Piedmont was the wealthiest and most politically dominant region. But if fortunes were reversed, could Nebbiolo have taken Primitivo/Zinfandel’s place as a grape relatively uncommon on the boot but dominant in California? 🤔🇮🇹🇺🇸
Probably not. The Nebbiolo vine is *not* for beginners. It flowers early and ripens late, making it susceptible to both spring and autumn frosts. It loves the occasional fog bath (some say the name is derived from ‘nebbia’, Italian for fog ☁️☁️☁️) but is prone to the mildew that may result from such humid conditions. Its fussiness would make Pinot Noir blush: it demands southwesterly exposure, a proper gradient, constant sun above, and fog licking at its toes. #diva
Sound anything like California’s Central Coast? 🌅
In the Santa Maria Valley, where the East-West Transverse Range bends back into the North-South Coastal Range, it’s possible. Vineyard selection still requires extreme discretion - an eye like @JimClendenen’s, perhaps.
Jim began the Nebbiolo program at the legendary #BienNacido vineyard in 1994. Production is small, but if you track down his “The Pip” Nebbiolo, it will only run you about $30. You’ll believe anything is possible when you have real California Nebbiolo of this quality come wafting out of the glass at you! 🙌🙌
🏞.“The Pip” is named after Jim’s old cellar dog Pip, a border collie. So it only seemed right to include one of our own pips! 🐈 — 7 years ago

Scott Kahn

9.2

Very balanced wine from Clare Valley. Good spice and dark red fruit. No obvious oak! — 6 months ago

Flinders Doyle

9.5

One of my favorite wines and has stayed good over a number of years — 7 months ago

Ricardo Perez

9.0

48% Cinsault 28% Syrah 24% Grenache — a year ago

with Mauricio

Russell Ives

9.4

2009 - beautiful velvet smooth and rich CabSav. Great drinking — 3 years ago

Laura Purdy

9.0

This is a beautiful Bordeaux blend from the brilliant Jim Law. — 5 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.1

I believe this is a relatively new project for Jim - great execution as always — 6 years ago

Jonathan Shoup

9.0

Dark, cherry and delicious! See you next time — 6 years ago

with Jennifer

Chris Haywood

9.3

Wow, acid is here and that's for sure. Utterly refreshing, peppery lime nose. Grapefruit, gave, bitter lime but all very balanced. I could drink a bucket. — 7 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Pop n pour. Given that it’s 70% Mourvèdre, the color is surprisingly light. (There’s 25% Grenache and 5% Syrah too.) Medium color saturation. Inviting nose of a melange of ripe berries and a smoky embers note. Crushed rock behind that. Soft and intensely flavored in the mouth, with the berries less prominent, jousting with dark earthy and pleasantly vegetal notes. Soft but balanced acids and tannins almost silky. Really nice. Terrific value at $25 from WTSO. — 7 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Third generation grower Jim Maresh launched his own brand in 2007. Maresh Vineyard was first planted in 1970 by grandparents Jim & Loie. Medium Ruby color with aromas of aa array of red berry fruits with a touch of cooling mint. On the palate cherry and berry fruits, well structured, with a touch of rustic spice. Fine dusty tannins, balanced with acidity, medium-bodied, long finish ending with earthy mineral character. Very Nice! — 7 months ago

Jane Nuss

9.3

Plum, oak, vanilla, pepper, cherry. Bold palate with ripe dark fruits. Blackberry, fig, prune. Silky tannins.
— 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Notes of Toffee Apple initially - a little reductive to begin with. Pale dirty crimson - transparent in parts - quite Burgundian in colour. A light to medium weight palate but Medium intensity. Like a good Village, verging on Premier Cru. Interesting and tasty but needing about 4 or 5 years more to develop complexity. Jim Chatto is regarded as one of Australia’s best winemakers having been in charge at Mt Pleasant in the Hunter Valley and now running his own show in Tasmania. Had a 2nd bottle 147 weeks later on 9th August 2025 - very pale Ruby in colour. Confectionery red fruit, jubey nose and palate. Sweet and savoury simultaneously. An excellent Tasmanian Pinot Noir. Had the last bottle on 12th April 2026. Very satisfying. — 4 years ago

Doug Powers

9.4

This is just so lovely, cool climate, deft touch of oak, layers of complexity, long finish, just a brilliant effort by Florida Jim, my only regret is I didn’t buy more!! — 6 years ago

with Jim

SK

9.3

Fabulous table wine. The Australian version of The Chocolate Block. Affordable too. From Wine Rack in Belsize. — 6 years ago