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
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%