This wine is rare among ABC wines, as it is not destemmed and the whole bunch is fermented. Only limited quantities are made in the best vintages, with only two vintages made to date, 2001 and 2005. After 11 years, the 2016 VTG has finally been released. Since then, very small quantities have only been released in good vintages. The name of the wine means "tears of the grape bunch" - made to cry by whole bunch fermentation - named after the strong astringent properties of the tannins in the stems, making it difficult to handle. It is expected to age well.
"L'Am de Grape" wine made with 100% whole-cluster fermentation
At Au Bon Climat, there is a cuvée that is made "Every once in a lifetime." This is "L'Ame de Grape," a wine made with 100% whole-cluster fermentation.
At Au Bon Climat, they follow the brewing methods of Henri Jayer and usually remove all the stems, but they also produce cuvées using whole-cluster fermentation when they determine the condition of the grapes to be made.
Only a few barrels are produced.
A few percent of it is blended into Isabelle and Knox to add subtle nuance to the top cuvées.
It is only produced in outstanding vintages when the stems are woody (very hard and completely dry) to be released as a standalone wine, and has only been produced in two vintages to date, 2001 and 2005, but in 2016 it was newly released after 11 years.
In 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, very small quantities will be produced for blending only from fully ripe grape clusters, and in response to demand from all over the world, only small quantities will be bottled and released, making this a rare product.
It is not scheduled to be bottled in 2022.
The name of the wine means "tears of the grape bunch" - it was named after the strong astringent properties of the tannins in the stems, which are caused by whole-cluster fermentation.
This wine has strong tannins, which are rare for Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir, and adds depth and complexity.The fruitiness dominates when young, but the wine becomes even more appealing as it ages.
Technical information
Fermented in open tanks, punched down by hand twice a day to ensure gentle extraction, gently pressed after fermentation and aged for approximately two years in French barrels (100% new François Frères), before being blended in several batches and further aging repeated. The wine is clarified using egg whites without using a filter, and the sediment is allowed to settle naturally, and only the top layer is transferred to a tank and allowed to settle before bottling.
It will then be aged in the bottle for a further two years, before being released for around four years.
Field Information
The 2020 vintage is from a plot of Bien Nacido Vineyard (Santa Maria Valley), which is considered a premium wine region, where vines are over 30 years old and were planted in the 1990s.
Until now, this wine has been made from old vines at Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills, but in 2020, the 667 old vines in Block 11 of Bien Nacid Vineyard, which is also the home of Au Bon Climat, were in excellent condition, so the winemaker decided to ferment the wine with whole clusters, and they were used by L'Ame de Grape.
Vintage: 2020
Capacity: 750ml
Type: Red wine
Taste: Medium bodied
Main variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Country of Origin: America
Region Name: California
AVA: Santa Maria Valley
Nested AVAs: Santa Maria Valley
Vineyard: Bien Nacido Viineyard
Winemaker: Jim Adelman
Winemaking: 100% whole-cluster fermentation. Gently punch down twice a day for gentle extraction.
Aging: Approximately 2 years in French barrels (100% new barrels made by Franso Frères)
Cap: Cork
Alcohol content: 13.5%