Pinot Gris Pinot Blanc
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2025
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fresh oysters, roasted chicken with herbs, spicy Thai curries
✨ Technical Specifications
Crafted by the late, legendary winemaker Jim Clendenen, the Au Bon Climat Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc blend is a testament to his love for the classic varieties of Alsace, reimagined in the cool maritime climate of Santa Barbara County. Sourced primarily from the historic Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley, this wine breaks the California mold of Chardonnay dominance. Clendenen famously championed these lesser-known Burgundian and Alsatian mutations, blending them to achieve a perfect harmony of texture and vibrant acidity. The Pinot Gris provides rich stone fruit flavors, mid-palate weight, and a copper-hued complexity, while the Pinot Blanc contributes bright citrus notes, structural acidity, and mineral precision. Fermented using native yeasts and aged on its lees in neutral French oak barrels, this white wine undergoes minimal intervention to preserve its fresh, aromatic, and deeply savory character.
🍾 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 Gris, Pinot Blanc
🍷 ABV
13.0-13.5%