30 Yrs in the Shed with Bob at Bien Nacido Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2032
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, seared salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
This special bottling is a heartfelt tribute to one of the Central Coast's most enduring winemaking friendships. In 1989, Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat and Bob Lindquist of Qupé built a winemaking facility on the historic Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. Affectionately dubbed 'the shed,' this simple metal building served as their shared creative sanctuary for three decades. To celebrate thirty years of cohabitation, shared barrels, and mutual inspiration, Jim crafted this limited-edition Pinot Noir. Sourced from the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard, the wine is made using classic Burgundian techniques, including open-top fermentation and aging in fine Francois Frères French oak barrels. It beautifully captures the cool-climate terroir of the Santa Maria Valley, offering a complex profile of bright red berries, savory dried herbs, and elegant earthy undertones.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1982 by visionary vintner Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat stands as one of California's most influential pioneers of cool-climate, Burgundian-style winemaking. Situated on the benchlands of the Santa Maria Valley and sourcing from iconic vineyards such as Bien Nacido, Sanford & Benedict, and the estate Le Bon Climat, the estate thrives within transverse valleys channeled by cold maritime airflow off the Pacific Ocean. Viticulture emphasizes sustainability, with key estate holdings certified organic. In the cellar, the late Clendenen's philosophy lives on through longtime winemaker Jim Adelman alongside Jim's children, Isabelle and Knox Clendenen. Vinification champions classical European restraint: whole-cluster pressing, native and selected yeast fermentations in François Frères French oak barrels, full lees contact, and unhurried elevage without excessive new wood or heavy extraction. Celebrated benchmark whites include the single-vineyard Bien Nacido K Block, Sanford & Benedict, and the flagship Chardonnay Nuits-Blanches Au Bouge, each exemplifying bright minerality, seamless acid architecture, and remarkable cellar longevity.
🍇 Grapes
Pinot Noir
🍷 ABV
13.5%