Pinot Noir Talley Vineyard
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, creamy mushroom risotto, seared salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
The collaboration between Au Bon Climat's legendary founder, Jim Clendenen, and the Talley family of the Arroyo Grande Valley is a storied chapter in Central Coast winemaking. Sourced from the Talley Vineyard, this Pinot Noir benefits from a unique microclimate where cool Pacific breezes sweep through the valley, tempering the California sun. The soils here, rich in calcareous clay and loam, impart a distinct mineral edge and structural elegance to the fruit. Clendenen's traditional, low-intervention Burgundian techniques—including open-top fermentation, manual punch-downs, and aging in fine French oak barrels from François Frères—allow the terroir to shine. The resulting wine is celebrated for its balance of vibrant red fruit, savory earthiness, and bright acidity, standing as a testament to a historic partnership built on a shared vision of restraint and longevity.
🍾 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%