2016 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard - 31st Vintage

Every wine I tasted from Jim Clendenen was brilliant. Once regarded as the poster child for a more restrained style, Clendenen inspired many of today’s leading young producers. Ironically, most of them now make wines that are quite focused and bright, which makes Clendenen’s wines seem opulent by comparison. How times change. To me though, these remain super-classic Santa Barbara wines. Most of the top selections see 100% new oak, although Clendenen uses slightly larger barrels these days, but they have the pedigree and richness to handle the wood. My only real quibble with Au Bon Climate and Clendenden Family is the insistence on using super-heavy bottles, which create an unnecessarily large carbon footprint. Jim Clendenen is one of the old-timers in Santa Barbara, but he’s still got plenty of game.

I was very impressed by the wines I tasted with Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat and Clendenen Family Vineyards. Clendenen is of course one of the central figures in the Santa Barbara wine scene. Over the years, he has influenced or directly mentored many of today's young superstar winemakers. It is therefore quite ironic that, tasted within context of today's Santa Barbara, Clendenen's wines are richer and more powerful than those made by most, if not all, of the young winemakers he has influenced. Moreover, these wines are not at all shy in their use of new French oak. But those are really just details. In this tasting, these new releases are positively brilliant. I can't recommend them highly enough.