romo

8.9

Not hitting tonight. May be suffering from the company. - at Dean’s — 13 days ago

Gilbert Van Hassel

9.3

Full red fruit, raspberries and strawberries. Outstanding but pricey. Drink now, decant for 45 minutes and serve slightly chilled. Proof that gamay can rock. — a month ago

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. — a month ago

Ivor

9.2

Wow top quality beaujolais! Burgundy depth and fizzy bojo stubbornness. — 3 months ago

Amy

9.0

master the world — loved!! — 4 months ago

Alvaro Bustillos

8.9

Anniverswrio madrina — 5 months ago

Loren Gesinsky

9.6

Wow. 25 years on this is still incredibly complex and delicious, balancing an unctuous and somewhat oily richness with all kinds of primary,!secondary, and tertiary notes. — 7 days ago

Gilbert Van Hassel

9.4

Fruit forward, raspberries strawberries and cherries. Medium weight on the lighter side, drinks nicely now. More structure than the fleurie. Outstanding. Can wait but drinks great now. — a month ago

Rufus King

9.3

Robust Côtes du Rhône red blend (Syrah & Grenache) with notes of dark fruit with strong tannin, enjoyed with salmon crudo at The Banks restaurant, Boston — a month ago

romo

9.2

Bright strawberries and rainbow skittles. - at Laurelhurst — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Opened three days earlier. The 2023 pours a deep ruby/purple color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe brambles, lavender pastilles, bacon fat, black pepper, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. A delightful pairing with Bison ribeye. Young but showing its potential. Drink now through 2043. — 2 months ago

Tom Nguyen

9.3

Great energy and fruit. Well balanced. Always a pleaser. — 5 months ago

Maggie Harrison

9.7

2022, figgy, plum with undertones of bacon at first open. very elegant and soft on palate. beautiful. about 4 hrs later- decanted. change? more mineral, tannins are showing more now than at opening. dried fig, meaty. bolder fruit on back end of palate thru the finish. iron on finish. drinking great but more time would certainly be better. — 5 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.6

Such a great wine that was groups favorite — 17 days ago

Rob Krapf

8.9

At The Grand Tier — 12 days ago

James Burge

9.4

1999 offer us - SINGING — a month ago

Jeanette Bangs

9.4

Outstanding. Absolutely delicious 😋 — a month ago

William Lauder

9.4

Still drinking well. Great expression of a Rhone — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2019 vintage. Last tasted 10.30.24 (9.3). Popped for the staff as part of the usual Saturday Slurp. Previous visit was ridiculously delicious but undisciplined. All over the map and that was much of the charm...that rusticity and authenticity...but at Woodstock with 500K in attendance and the LSD-spiked punchbowl that ambushed The Who still found them nailing their set. Kinda similar to that. Yeah. So tonight's viz finds this bad boy relatively behaved with frontal palate richness and savory chocolate note along with a plushiness that was previously hinted at but unfulfilled. Gaminess gonzo for the most part as this seems to have settled into middle-age. Say it ain't so! Was crazy excellent in the punk rock era. Still excellent in the arena rock era. We'll see what happens in the crooner/standards era. 6.27.26. — 4 months ago

Kaushal Kantawala

9.0

After an hour and a half in the decanter, this was delicious — 5 months ago