Chardonnay
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed within 1–5 years of vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Roasted chicken, grilled salmon, creamy mushroom risotto
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Jim Clendenen, the legendary founder of Au Bon Climat, was a visionary who famously swam against the tide of ultra-ripe, heavily oaked California Chardonnays. Drawing deep inspiration from Burgundy, Clendenen championed a style focused on freshness, structure, and longevity. Sourced from cool-climate vineyards in Santa Barbara County, where the unique transverse mountain ranges pull cold maritime air directly from the Pacific Ocean, this Chardonnay captures the region's signature bright acidity. The wine is fermented and aged in French oak barrels with traditional lees stirring (bâtonnage), yielding a beautifully balanced profile of crisp citrus, stone fruit, and a subtle, creamy texture that honors Old World restraint in a New World terroir.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 1982 by the legendary winemaker Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat is a pioneering estate located in the Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. Situated on the historic Bien Nacido Vineyard, the winery is internationally acclaimed for its unwavering commitment to crafting Burgundian-style wines of balance, restraint, and longevity. Utilizing traditional French winemaking techniques, including open-top fermenters, manual punch-downs, and aging in classic Francois Frères French oak barrels, Au Bon Climat produces highly expressive, food-friendly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their signature expressions, such as the Knox Alexander Pinot Noir and Nuits-Blanches au Bouge Chardonnay, showcase the unique, cool-climate terroir of California's Central Coast.