Pinot Noir Birthday Cuvee
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2027
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, herb-crusted rack of lamb
✨ Technical Specifications
Au Bon Climat's Pinot Noir Birthday Cuvee represents the pinnacle of the late Jim Clendenen's winemaking artistry, typically crafted as a rare, limited-edition bottling to mark milestone celebrations. These special cuvées are meticulously blended from the finest, most age-worthy barrels sourced from iconic cool-climate vineyards in Santa Barbara County, such as the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard and Sanford & Benedict. Reflecting Clendenen's deep reverence for Burgundy, the winemaking employs traditional techniques: open-top fermentation, manual punch-downs, and extended aging in premium Francois Frères French oak barrels. The resulting wine is a masterclass in balance, combining the vibrant, high-toned red fruit and savory complexity characteristic of the Santa Maria Valley with the structure and longevity required for decades of cellaring. It stands as a liquid tribute to the pioneering spirit of one of California's most colorful and influential vintners.
🍾 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%