Wild Boy Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2025
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted chicken, pan-seared scallops, creamy mushroom pasta
✨ Technical Specifications
The 'Wild Boy' Chardonnay is a liquid tribute to the late, legendary winemaker Jim Clendenen, whose boisterous personality, flowing locks, and rebellious spirit earned him the nickname 'Wild Boy' from his peers in Burgundy. Unlike some of Au Bon Climat's more reserved, lean Chardonnays, this cuvée leans into a slightly richer, more expressive style while maintaining Clendenen's signature vibrant acidity. Sourced from cool-climate vineyards in Santa Barbara County, including the famed Bien Nacido, the wine undergoes barrel fermentation and aging in classic Francois Frères French oak barrels. It beautifully balances the sun-drenched richness of California fruit with the structure, minerality, and elegance of traditional Burgundian winemaking.
🍾 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%