Los Alamos Vineyard Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted chicken, grilled sea bass, creamy mushroom pasta
✨ Technical Specifications
The Los Alamos Vineyard Chardonnay from Au Bon Climat highlights one of Santa Barbara County's most historic vineyard sites. Planted in the early 1970s, the Los Alamos Vineyard features unique, well-drained sandy soils and sits in a wind-swept corridor that funnels cool maritime air from the Pacific Ocean. Winemaker Jim Clendenen was drawn to this site for its ability to produce Chardonnay with striking acidity and intense aromatic complexity. Au Bon Climat crafts this wine using traditional Burgundian techniques, including barrel fermentation in French oak barrels and extensive sur lie aging. The result is a beautifully balanced Chardonnay that bridges the gap between Old World restraint and California fruit intensity, characterized by bright citrus, stone fruit, and a distinct mineral backbone.
🍾 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%