Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted chicken, grilled lobster with butter, creamy mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
The Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay is a masterclass in cool-climate California winemaking, representing a historic partnership between Au Bon Climat and one of the state's most legendary vineyards. Planted in 1973 in the wind-swept Santa Maria Valley, Bien Nacido benefits from a unique transverse mountain range that draws cold Pacific fog directly into the vines, extending the growing season and preserving vibrant natural acidity. The late Jim Clendenen, a visionary who famously championed restraint and balance over high-alcohol blockbusters, crafted this wine using traditional Burgundian methods. Fermented and aged in classic French oak barrels from the Francois Frères cooperage, the wine undergoes complete malolactic fermentation and regular lees stirring (bâtonnage). This meticulous process coaxes out a beautiful tension between rich, textured orchard fruit and a piercing, saline minerality that has defined the estate's signature style for decades.
🍾 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
Chardonnay
🍷 ABV
13.5%