2019 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay 34th Vintage Celebration Sanford & Benedict Vineyard

Au Bon Climat's slogan is "An homage to the wines of Burgundy" and that sums it up nicely. The Chardonnay from Sanford & Benedict Vineyard are among Au Bon Climat's top models. Today, the Sanford & Benedict vineyard is considered one of the best vineyards in America. im Clendenen wanted to celebrate the greatness of this iconic vineyard and therefore created the "Vintage Celebration" program. From the very best years, Au Bon Climat keeps some wine back, gives it a longer maturation and keeps it in the cellars under perfect conditions.

About Historic Vineyard collection

This wine comes from the Historic Vineyard collection. This collection originally represented five iconic vineyards that were instrumental in increasing the recognition of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Central Coast. Today, ABC's Historic Collection includes wines from the Los Alamos, Bien Nacido, Talley and Sanford & Benedict vineyards. These established vineyards allow for wines of great intensity and character. As the official exclusive importer of Au Bon Climat, we naturally carry these wines.

Tasting notes
The Au Bon Climat Chardonnay 34th Vintage Celebration Sanford & Benedict Vineyard has enticing aromas of macadamia nut, cream, sweet butter and orange peel are accompanied by flavors of coconut, cherimoya and other creamy white fruits, supported by hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and mineral notes. While rich and opulent, the wine remains tight and refined in style and will develop beautifully with bottle age.

Winemaker's Notes
This certified sustainable vineyard has a layer of hard, pebbly quartz gravel on well-drained soils, combined with the cool climate (Climate Region 1) near the Pacific Ocean. This creates the perfect medium for quality Pinot and Chardonnay, with a distinctive Sta. Rita Hills AVA character. The “Vintage Celebration” is the “reserve” Chardonnay edition from the Sanford & Benedict vineyard. To take this to the next level, we used new 350-liter barrels of premium French oak, custom made by François Frères to Jim Clendenen’s specifications. This outstanding wine was given a slightly longer aging period, with two years of barrel aging before being lightly processed and bottled. The 2019 edition is an exceptional wine from a winery that has been making great Chardonnay from this historic vineyard for over 30 years.

Background story
The first “big” vineyard in Santa Barbara County was planted in 1971 by Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict. Jim Clendenen saw the “magic” of the Sanford & Benedict vineyard decades ago and was fortunate enough to purchase a few tons of grapes in the 1980s. Since then, Au Bon Climat has received fruit from the original plantings in this vineyard every year, except for 1990 when the vineyard was in transition. Only Sanford Winery has such a long “history” with this vineyard. Today, the vineyard is owned by the Terlato family, who have improved their farming practices. The vineyard is now sustainably managed and is in better condition than ever.

The success of this vineyard led to a “planting boom” in the new Sta. Rita Hills AVA, where the surrounding hillsides are now covered in vines. Jim Clendenen wanted to celebrate the greatness of this iconic vineyard and created the “Vintage Celebration” program. Today, the Sanford & Benedict vineyard is considered one of America’s finest.

Delicious with oysters, salmon in beurre blanc, chicken fillet with a creamy tarragon sauce or a Gruyère cheese, ham and onion tart.

FACT: In the tab 'Attachments' you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will automatically send you this when you order this wine. The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will often also receive a nice discount . You will see your discount immediately when you choose 'Pick up' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht almost next to the A16 with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.