Au Bon Climat, Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, California 2023

This is a beautiful example of the Au Bon Climat style. The flinty, stony aromas stand out, while in the background there is an intriguing spice note of clove and nutmeg from sur lie barrel aging in somewhat neutral barrels for 10 months.

Flavors and aromas of citrus and stone fruit, are finished with a beautiful lemon/lime zest note. The wine is intense, but light on its feet and is built to compliment food, not over power food.

Santa Barbara County has the climate and terroir that allows Au Bon Climat to consistently make balanced and lively Chardonnays year after year. The wine keeps on evolving from delicious and fresh at release, to a richer more complex wine with age.

The fruit for this wine is from three well-farmed vineyards: Bien Nacido, Los Alamos, and Le Bon Climat. The grapes from each vineyard are carefully handpicked, and sorted in the vineyard. After harvesting, the grapes are whole cluster pressed, and juice is quickly settled, chilled, and put to barrel. Barrel fermentation and malolactic fermentation are completed. The following summer the lots are blended and wine bottled. The wine will keep on developing and gain in complexity for the next decade.