Talley Rincon Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2027
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, seared salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
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.
🍾 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%