Au Bon Climat XXX Anniversary Nuits-Blanches au Bouge Santa Maria Valley Estate Bottled Chardonnay 2010

Jim Clendenen has crafted another iconic wine in the 2010 Au Bon Climat XXX Anniversary Nuits-Blanches au Bouge Chardonnay. In the award winning style of the winery’s great XX and XXV Anniversary selections, ABC’s latest Anniversary release provides another staggering statement. Perfectly ripe fruit, great acidity and ample structure guarantee this wine a long, happy life, yet this full-bodied Chardonnay can be enjoyed right now. Its heady aroma and complex, deep down flavors enliven the senses. Pear, tropical fruit, sautéed hazelnuts in fresh creamery butter, vanilla, Asian spices, and a long, dry spicy finish make this big boned Chardonnay nearly irresistible. Bold but not brazen, the 2010 Au Bon Climat XXX Anniversary Nuits-Blanches au Bouge provides a harmonious synthesis between two of the estate’s distinct Chardonnay offerings: Nuits-Blanches, a full, in your face style of Chardonnay; and Le Bouge, an elegantly crafted, discreet Chardonnay that is both complex and fulfilling. Although perfectly charming now, there is no doubt that this wine will continue to improve in bottle for several more years. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest only moderate chilling (40º-50º F) and at least five or ten minutes of aeration prior to consumption, as world class Chardonnays benefit as much from aeration as do fine red wines.

What could be better than great wine in the company of great food? Not much, especially if you have a bottle or two of the 2010 Au Bon Climat’s XXX Anniversary Nuits-Blanches au Bouge Chardonnay on hand. Consequently, we suggest serving the 2010 Au Bon Climat XXX Anniversary Chardonnay with the finest foods one can bring to table. Rich seafood bisque and the finest gravlax provide wonderful opening acts to serve with Jim Clendenen’s XXX Anniversary Nuits-Blanches au Bouge. Yet, our preference would be to wait for the main course and go for the gusto, especially if we had only one bottle on hand. Serve this full throttle Chardonnay with a whole steamed or grilled lobster or pan seared halibut with sushi tuna and prosciutto wrapped asparagus served over a risotto cake that’s stuffed with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and herbs. Potato encrusted sea bass, served with a ragout of wild mushrooms, baby spinach, prosciutto, and mixed vegetables, provides another mouth watering accompaniment. Seasoned sea scallops in the company of pan seared Arborio rice and black truffle dressed arugula and snow pea salad offer yet another special culinary interlude. And if seafood is not on the menu, we can attest to Au Bon Climat’s 2010 XXX Anniversary Chardonnay doing justice to Chinese chicken and mushroom dumplings. A carefully prepared duck breast or Parmesan encrusted pork chop served with a heady wild mushroom sauce will make your mouth water, too, but why stop there? Enjoy!

Au Bon Climat, or ABC as it is called by its many admirers, enjoys an international reputation for producing French varietals, most notably Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Under the expert care of Jim Clendenen, the “Mind Behind” the wine, Au Bon Climat fashions full throttle, classically wrought wines of distinction. No light fruit bombs or syrupy late harvest style Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs to choose from here. At Au Bon Climat one can expect in each and every bottle only the fullest expression of several notable vineyards along California’s glorious Central Coast. In addition, Au Bon Climat’s wines age gracefully and deliver Burgundian complexity. For this reason, ABC has been on Robert Parker’s short list of Best Wineries in the World. It has also been selected by British wine critic Oz Clark as one of only fifty world-wide creators of Modern Classic Wines. To add to this prestigious property’s long list of accolades, Jim Clendenen was named the Los Angeles Times “Winemaker of the Year” in 1992; Food & Wine Magazine “Winemaker of the Year” in 2001; and Wein Gourmet, Germany’s leading wine and food magazine, “Winemaker of the Year” in 2004. In 2007 Jim garnered yet another tribute; he was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.”

Upon graduation with High Honors in Pre-Law from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1976, Jim Clendenen seemed destined for one of the nation’s top law schools and a promising legal career. Instead, Jim headed for France where he had discovered on a junior year abroad that there was more to culinary arts than tacos. After a month in Burgundy and Champagne, he decided against law school in favor of a career in wine, and we’re glad he did. By 1978, Jim was already Assistant Wine Maker at Zaca Mesa Winery. At Zaca Mesa, he helped create some of that winery’s finest wines to date. In 1981, Jim worked three harvests on three continents: he actively participated in the crush in Australia, California, and France. The following year, he and his former partner Adam Tolmach began Au Bon Climat.

Today, Au Bon Climat is under Jim Clendenen’s sole direction. Production has grown to over 30,000 cases, but each wine remains a handcrafted affair. Burgundian varietals predominate (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), but Jim specializes in other French varietals, too. In recent years, he has experimented successfully with premium Italian grape varieties as well. The primary sources for Au Bon Climat’s wines are the estate’s own Le Bon Climat Vineyard and the internationally renowned Bien Nacido Vineyard, both in Santa Maria Valley. ABC’S Le Bon Climat Vineyard is organically farmed and has been certified organic since 2003. Au Bon Climat also draws grapes for its various offerings from the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills, the Los Alamos Vineyard in Santa Barbara County, and the exceptional Talley Vineyard in nearby San Luis Obispo County.