Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Au Bon Climat — Chardonnay 2023
Santa Barbara County, California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A classic Santa Barbara County Chardonnay from Au Bon Climat, reflecting the restrained, balanced style that made Jim Clendenen’s wines such benchmarks for the region. This is Chardonnay without unnecessary theatrics: cool-climate freshness, measured richness, and an easygoing personality that still carries plenty of character.

Aromas & Flavors
Fresh apple, pear, lemon, white peach, and citrus blossom, with subtle vanilla, mineral, and lightly toasted nuances adding complexity without dominating the fruit.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied, fresh, and beautifully balanced. The acidity provides just the right amount of tension, while a subtle creamy texture rounds the palate. Clean, composed, and remarkably easy to enjoy.

Food Pairings
Grilled fish, roasted chicken, shrimp, crab cakes, creamy pasta, or simply enjoyed on its own.

Verdict
A solid representation of what Santa Barbara Chardonnay does so well. It has freshness without austerity, texture without heaviness, and enough complexity to remain interesting while being completely approachable. A terrific casual Chardonnay.

Did You Know?
Au Bon Climat was founded by Jim Clendenen in 1982 and became one of the defining producers of cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County, favoring balance and restraint long before those qualities became fashionable in California.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is what I want a casual Santa Barbara Chardonnay to taste like. Affable, balanced, subtly textured, and carrying just enough tension to keep every sip fresh. Nothing overdone and nothing missing. It has officially earned a spot among my New World Chardonnay staples. — 10 days ago

Daniel Bloom

9.1

N: Lemons, ginger, banana peel, very fresh, like a just passed thunderstorms sun. You can smell the oak, but it’s like a ghost in the background.
P:Lemon custard, ever so light, creamy,tart, long finish, slight wood. He was really talented.
R.I.P. Jim Clendenen
If served this “ blind”, very few would peg it as a Cali Chard. A stylistic response to criticism of previous, over the top Chards.
With time and air, some flinty mineral goodness appears along with the sensation of citrus pith. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Partnership w/Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat. Barbara Barham & Richard Mendelsohn planted 5 acres of Pinot on Lala Panzi Ranch in the RRV. They had similar visions on Pinot’s & thus led to this partnership. Aged in predominately new Allier & Vosges wood. Aromas of berry fruits with dusty earthy nose. On the palate, berry flavors come forth with hints of tea & spice. Medium+ length, fine tannins, ending with earthy mushroom character, it was good, lost its luster, at its prime now! — 6 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.3

This 2015 is just gorgeous — 7 years ago

Roberto Carli

9.3

Damn! Velvety body, baking spices, long finish with caramel notes and bright acidity to balance it — 8 years ago

Paulo Faria

9.2

Love the 2008 vintage — 10 years ago

S.S. Mandani

9.1

Peppers, cherries, black pepper, star anise.

Tart cherry, light peppercorn, nice front palate tannins. A bit of earth. — 6 months ago

Roger Cabrera

9.0

Golden straw in the glass. The wine is youthful with aromas of ripe red apple, fresh sage, and sunflowers. Medium body with a semi-lucious lanolin quality, medium acidity. Lingering finish. Unfaulted wine of superior quality. — 3 years ago

Andrew Lohse

9.0

Fat and peachy — 4 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

8.9

Last night I opened the 2017 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County, California. It has been a little bit since I have had an Au Bon Climat from Jim Clendenen. Jim's work is always spot on and well worth what you pay.

On the nose there is cranberry, strawberry, cherry, anise, clove, spice and a nice earthiness.

On the palate there is cranberry, strawberry, cherry, caramel, herbal notes, red currant, light oak and that nice earthiness.

This wine is light to medium bodied with medium to medium + acidity and medium fine tannins that lead into a medium to medium long fresh fruit finish. Continued health to everyone. Please be safe and continue social distancing. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 6 years ago

David L

9.4

Au Bon Climat 2014 Isabelle Pinot Noir
This is best-barrel bottling by Jim Clendenen, named after his daughter.
Medium body. Ripe cherry, very ripe raspberry, black licorice, sweet spices. Mouth-cleansing acidity. Drinking for another 5 + years. Drinking like it’s a premier league PN😉 — 7 years ago

Narun P

9.0

100% Chardonnay

Medium straw color. Fresh, clear, and transparent.

Sophisticated bouquet showing more restrained fruit profile backed up by clear stone-y/minerally characters.

Structurally, this wine is not as robust as the Los Alamos bottling tasted alongside of it. Med to med low acidity, med body (13.5 abv), dry. Reserved fruit profile of Asian pear and yellow apple. A hint of oak spices such as thyme and cilantro. Pronounced mineral, almost saline notes.

This bottling is rather flat when compared with the Los Alamos. Jim Clendenen said he intentionally made this in a "non-fruit" style that he prefers. Need at least 7 years before this is ready for business. 90+. — 9 years ago

Austin Hohnke

9.2

Agree with Ashley Lanie. So much complexity here for $24 on the shelf. Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah, and Cabernet. Leather, tobacco leaf, and baking chocolate all wound up in a robe of juicy cherries and red berries. Nose is super mature. Sangiovese explains the acidity. Wine is drinking great! — 7 months ago

Roger Cabrera

9.0

Excellent freshness and complexity. Med+ acidity, med body, and wonderful tones of Bosc pear, white peaches, and the most subtle nuttiness. Confirmed on the palate. Clean finish with a corsage of white flowers. Drink now or hold for another three years. — 3 years ago

Nathan Kinney

9.4

Big fan, eat with anything off the grill — 6 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.0

Fab new offering from Jim Clenenden. Almost clear in the glass belies fine acid and balance. 2018 vintage. — 6 years ago

Roberto Carli

9.2

Sour cherry with some ripeness, but good acidity and still relatively light on its feet. Medium body with some tannins — 6 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.0

Took a long time to open up but then, v nice — 7 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.1

Super interesting- love it. Will pair well with food — 9 years ago

Brendan OConnell

9.1

Clendenen you son of a bitch, you've done it again! — 10 years ago

with Ted