Larmes de Grappe Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck breast, wild mushroom risotto, herb-crusted rack of lamb
✨ Technical Specifications
Au Bon Climat's 'Larmes de Grappe' is a legendary, rare cuvée that represents the pinnacle of the late Jim Clendenen's winemaking artistry. Translated as 'tears of the grape,' this exceptional Pinot Noir is only produced in outstanding vintages. It is crafted utilizing 100% whole-cluster fermentation, a traditional Burgundian technique that Clendenen championed in the Santa Maria Valley. The fruit is sourced from the finest, oldest blocks of the historic Bien Nacido Vineyard, where cool maritime breezes and clay-loam soils foster slow, balanced ripening. The wine undergoes extended aging in 100% new François Frères French oak barrels, resulting in a Pinot Noir of extraordinary structure, savory complexity, and profound depth that pays homage to the grand crus of the Côte de Nuits.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1982 by the visionary late winemaker Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat is situated in the cool-climate expanse of the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Operating out of the acclaimed Bien Nacido Vineyard, the winery forged an international reputation by championing restraint, balance, and classical Burgundian traditions long before cool-climate California viticulture entered the mainstream. Driven by early harvesting, indigenous fermentations, and meticulous French oak aging, Au Bon Climat crafts structured, age-worthy wines distinguished by high natural acidity and moderate alcohol levels. The estate is celebrated globally for its expressive site-specific and reserve bottlings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, including iconic signature labels such as Knox Alexander, Isabelle, and Nuits-Blanches au Bouge.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Pinot Noir
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
13.5%