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
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%