Talley Rincon Pinot Noir
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 5–15 years from the vintage release, showing beautiful evolution and tertiary complexity with age.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, seared salmon
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The collaboration between the late, legendary winemaker Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat and the pioneering Talley family represents a golden chapter in Central Coast winemaking history. Sourced from the iconic Rincon Vineyard in the Arroyo Grande Valley, this single-vineyard Pinot Noir showcases a highly distinctive terroir defined by calcareous clay and soft limestone soils. First planted by Don Talley in 1982—the very same year Au Bon Climat was founded—the Rincon Vineyard benefits from cool maritime breezes sweeping in from the Pacific Ocean. Clendenen applied his signature old-world, Burgundian approach to this fruit, utilizing open-top fermenters, manual punch-downs, and thoughtful aging in classic Francois Frères French oak barrels. The resulting wine is celebrated for its remarkable structure, vibrant acidity, and a signature mineral-driven complexity that sets it apart from warmer California expressions.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 1982 by the legendary winemaker Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat is a pioneering estate located in the Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. Situated on the historic Bien Nacido Vineyard, the winery is internationally acclaimed for its unwavering commitment to crafting Burgundian-style wines of balance, restraint, and longevity. Utilizing traditional French winemaking techniques, including open-top fermenters, manual punch-downs, and aging in classic Francois Frères French oak barrels, Au Bon Climat produces highly expressive, food-friendly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their signature expressions, such as the Knox Alexander Pinot Noir and Nuits-Blanches au Bouge Chardonnay, showcase the unique, cool-climate terroir of California's Central Coast.