2022 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Santa Barbara County

This is a chardonnay with an intelligent and perfectly dosed wood aging. The winemaker Jim Clendenen is a wonderful and very sensitive winemaker who is mainly known worldwide for his work on terroir identification in California, for the plantings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The man conducted groundbreaking historical research into Burgundy from the 'pré-chardonnay' era, when white Burgundies were made from Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Aligoté. His wines are an ode to minerals, have an exceptional depth and are of absolute world class.

The Santa Barbara County line of Au Bon Climat are terroir driven wines. Santa Barbara County has the climate and terroir to produce balanced and vibrant wines. This wine continues to evolve, from delicious and fresh upon release to a richer, more complex wine with age. The Chardonnay grapes are carefully picked by hand and sorted in the vineyard. After harvesting, the grapes are pressed into whole bunches and the juice is quickly settled and cooled to start barrel fermentation. The wine is dry and completed malo-lactic fermentation and matures in oak barrels for about a year.

This is the 40th vintage of Santa Barbara County Chardonnay being made. Au Bon Climat has been making balanced, long-lived, food-friendly Chardonnays ever since. Even in the early 2000s, when ripe, oaky Chardonnays were all the rage, Au Bon Climat stuck to a more subtle and refined style, with minerality and intensity. This wine is consistently at the top of its class and also one of the best values available. Winemaking protocol has changed little in forty years; they still handcraft wines in small batches using the same basic, time-tested techniques. The result is one
fruit forward, well structured Chardonnay of finesse that is worth double the price.

The Au Bon Climat sticks to a more subtle and refined style, with minerality and intensity chardonnay and is not a blockbuster or butter-bomb as has been seen in Napa Valley for a while. The Santa Barbara County Chardonnay is a wonderful example of the Au Bon Climat style. The fiery, stony aromas stand out, while in the background you can hear a harsh spicy note from the aged barrel aging. There are notes of lime-lime and soft vanilla. At first taste it is irresistible. At a young age, this wine goes perfectly with shellfish or poultry. It will improve for at least 10 years and as it evolves, try this wine with a risotto funghi and be surprised.

FACT: The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you pick up the wine you will also receive a nice discount. You will see your discount immediately when you choose Collect in the Checkout page. We are almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.