Talley Vineyard Rincon Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2032
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, seared salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
The Au Bon Climat Talley Vineyard Rincon Pinot Noir represents a historic partnership between legendary winemaker Jim Clendenen and the Talley family, pioneers of the Arroyo Grande Valley. Sourced from the steep, southwest-facing slopes of the Rincon Vineyard, this wine benefits from unique calcareous clay soils and a cool maritime breeze sweeping in from the Pacific Ocean. Clendenen applied his signature Burgundian approach to this fruit, utilizing open-top fermenters, manual punch-downs, and aging in premium François Frères French oak barrels. The result is a Pinot Noir of remarkable structure, balancing bright red fruit with deep earthy undertones and a distinct mineral spine that reflects this exceptional coastal terroir.
🍾 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%