2023 · Chardonnay

Au Bon Climat is a Santa Barbara County, California producer founded by Jim Clendenen and carried forward by the Clendenen family and team including Sarah Atwood. For more than 40 vintages, it has focused on Burgundian varieties and classically styled wines of balance, restraint, character, and longevity rather than flashy ripeness. The winery draws on cool Pacific influence and marine-based soils, with deep ties to leading Central Coast vineyards, especially Bien Nacido, where it has long-term custom blocks and production on the property, and Sanford & Benedict, a sourcing relationship that spans decades. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are central, alongside Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, with winemaking built around site expression, hand-picked fruit, barrel fermentation, whole-cluster pressing, lees aging, and extended élevage in French oak.