2017 Chardonnay Nuits-Blanches au Bouge
$50 (2021)
United States
Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County
California
White
Chardonnay (2021 vintage)
00
2017
2020 - 2032
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
This is another stellar set of wines from Jim Clendenen. The whites are especially strong across the board. Over the years, Clendenen has moved to larger format oak for many of those wines, and really comes through in a style that captures both richness and freshness. The 2017 Pinots are a bit more challenging, but it is hard, if not impossible, to overcome the stresses of a short growing season with brutal heat spikes. Jim Clendenen has inspired many of today’s most celebrated young winemakers, but as I have written here before, his wines are, ironically, now among some of the richer wines in Santa Barbara. They remain classic expressions of some of the top vineyard sites in Los Alamos, Santa Maria and the Sta. Rita Hills.
00
2021
2024 - 2031
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
Jim Clendenen passed away in early 2021, but his style is very much alive at Au Bon Climat and Clendenen Family Vintners. Élevage for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is on the longer side relative to present-day standards. New oak is often in the 75-100% range, although increasingly, the preference leans toward 350-liter barrels. As usual, the Pinots are done with a high percentage of whole clusters. These wines continue to represent classicism in Santa Barbara. Clendenen succeeded in achieving that most elusive of elements in wine: balance. It’s great to see these wines showing so well.
00
2020
2023 - 2028
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
Au Bon Climat remains a reference point for Santa Barbara, perhaps THE reference point given the global reach these wines now enjoy. I have not seen too many changes here since Jim Clendenen passed away in early 2021, although most of these wines were made while he was still alive. The signatures are a fair amount of new oak for the Chardonnays, but often with a prominent use of large and thick-staved 350L barrels, and heavy use of whole clusters for the Pinots. The top selections often see extended time in wood. Of course, it all starts with sourcing at some of the very finest vineyards in Santa Barbara. Jim Clendenen influenced pretty much all of today’s younger generation, and that influence remains. Readers will find a number of compelling wines in this year’s crop of new releases.
00
2019
2024 - 2034
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
This is a fabulous set of wines from Au Bon Climat. I admit, it’s hard today to taste wines Jim Clendenen made prior his passing last year. At the same time, these new releases provide fascinating insight into his stylistic choices across several vineyards and sites.
I have said this before, but I think it bears repeating. It's fascinating to taste the Au Bon Climat wines given how much Clendenen influenced many of today's leading young winemakers. Pretty much without exception, Clendenen's wines, especially the Chardonnays, are richer and more powerful, with greater oak influence and overall lushness. In general, the wines here are marked by a focus on a handful of top sites, many of which Clendenen made famous, a high percentage of new oak, but often with larger 350-liter barrels, long aging in wood, and a high amount of whole clusters in the Pinots. More than anything else, these wines are American treasures, legacies of one of this country's most inspired and inspiring winemakers.
00
2018
2022 - 2030
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
Jim Clendenen was the most important and influential figure in Santa Barbara prior to his passing earlier this year just a few days before I was scheduled to see him. To be sure, a number of Clendenen’s peers, notably Rick Longoria, Adam Tolmach and Bob Lindquist, have made compelling wines for decades, but Clendenen’s outsized personality amplified everything. His death leaves a huge void for the wine community. I had a hard time concentrating during my tasting with General Manager Jim Adelman and Clendenen’s daughter, Isabelle, as the conversation brought back so many memories. In the end, I tasted all the wines again back home in New York. As I have written in the past, the Au Bon Climat and Clendenen Family Vineyards wines, once regarded as very restrained, often taste quite opulent today because of how much styles have shifted. That is especially true of the Chardonnays, which can come across as pretty opulent, especially for readers who have been taught that ‘Burgundian’ in white wine is a synonym for lean and austere. The Pinots also see a fair amount of new oak but are also done with a significant number of whole clusters. All the wines remain reference points for high-end, site-specific Santa Barbara wine.
00
2016
2020 - 2028
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
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.
00
2015
2018 - 2026
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
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.
00
2012
2015 - 2022
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
Jim Clendenen seems to take things in stride. Once the darling of American wine, then cast off into near-obscurity, Clendenen must find it amusing to be back in vogue and that so many of the current crop of Santa Barbara's emerging young growers were either 1) deeply influenced by him, 2) worked under him, and/or 3) are now sourcing fruit from sites he made famous back in the 1980s. As much as the younger generation is getting a lot of attention, and rightly so in my view, much of what is 'new' today started with Clendenen and his then-partner Adam Tolmach (now at Ojai) back in the early days of Au Bon Climat.
00
2011
2014 - 2019
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
Jim Clendenen makes a wide range of wines across several distinct labels. I was only able to taste a smattering of representative wines, but what I saw was terrific. There are plenty of gems among these new releases, but none is more surprising than the 2006 Nebbiolo, which is probably not the wine most people associate with Clendenen, one of the true pioneers in Santa Barbara.
00
2009
2013 - 2015
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
00
2008
2013 - 2018
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
00
2003
2024 - 2025
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
Hatched comes strongly recommended. It might lack the luxurious accouterments you might expect from a restaurant. You could argue that it is stripped down to the fundaments: the quality of service and quality of food. Inconveniently, it is not located close to any tube station, off the beaten trek, so either grab a cab or give your legs a workout. Trust me, the Pain Perdu alone is worth it.
00
2003
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
00
2002
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
Also tasted: 2002 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley, 2002 Pinot Noir Knox Alexander Santa Maria Valley.
00
1999
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
00
1998
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
00
1997
You'll Find The Article Name Here
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.
- By Author Name on Month Date, Year
Social
© 2025 Vinous Media LLC · Privacy · Terms & Conditions