Au Bon Climat Clendenen Family ''The Pip'' Nebbiolo 2017

Jim Clendenen often dreamed of having a small winery where commerce was not the driving force. Instead, the dream was to have the luxury to keep wines long in a barrel should they need it (5 years for the Nebbiolo!); to explore offbeat varietals and idiosyncratic styles because they are interesting. Created in 2000, the Clendenen Family brand is a project of passion. There is no doubt quality is here along with the ABC signature of balance, finesse, and longevity.

Nebbiolo is the grape in the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy. The highly sought-after Barolos and Barbarescos from Piedmont are Nebbiolo-based wines. Barolo, considered “the wine of kings and the king of wines,” is aged at least three years in a barrel and another two years in a bottle before release. This aging is necessary due to the high acidity and the abundance of tannin found in Nebbiolo-based wines. Our “Pip” Nebbiolo gets a similar cellar treatment as its Italian counterpart. It has been aged in large (500 litres) Hungarian Oak puncheons for four years and aged in a bottle for another year prior to release.

All of our Nebbiolo is grown in a 1.63-acre section of Bien Nacido Vineyard located in the cool Santa Maria Valley. These vines are now over 20 years old. Few vineyards in California were growing high-quality Nebbiolo in the 90s, through trial and error we got manageable yields and healthier grapes.