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
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%