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
Founded in 1982 by the visionary late winemaker Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat is situated in the cool-climate expanse of the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Operating out of the acclaimed Bien Nacido Vineyard, the winery forged an international reputation by championing restraint, balance, and classical Burgundian traditions long before cool-climate California viticulture entered the mainstream. Driven by early harvesting, indigenous fermentations, and meticulous French oak aging, Au Bon Climat crafts structured, age-worthy wines distinguished by high natural acidity and moderate alcohol levels. The estate is celebrated globally for its expressive site-specific and reserve bottlings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, including iconic signature labels such as Knox Alexander, Isabelle, and Nuits-Blanches au Bouge.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Chardonnay
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
13.5%