2021 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Los Alamos Vineyard

AVAILABLE ON DECEMBER 6, 2024 FOR THE FIRST TIME

Au Bon Climat's tagline is "An homage to the wines of Burgundy" and that sums it up nicely. 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 us to make 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 Los Alamos Vineyard is characterized by a remarkable purity. Enjoy the first aroma of wet limestone, which seamlessly changes into refined notes of white peach, ice cream and lime. This Chardonnay has a rounded structure and persistent tropical notes.

Winemaker's Notes
The Los Alamos vineyard covers approximately 500 planted acres, most of which is located on the flatlands of the Los Alamos Valley, nestled between the warmer Santa Ynez Valley and the cooler Santa Maria Valley. The best grapes from this vineyard grow in the north, on the gentle slopes of the Solomon Hills. On this hilltop, wind and shallow soils make for low yields, and the grapes struggle to ripen. Despite this challenge, the small crop ripens early. The grapes are harvested by hand, pressed whole, and barreled. The wine is aged for 16 months on the lees in French François Frères oak barrels, 33% of which are new.

Background story
Au Bon Climat and the Los Alamos vineyard share a long history. Au Bon Climat's first winery was a small barn on the Los Alamos vineyard property in 1982. Since then, the vineyard has changed hands several times, with Au Bon Climat moving from the property in 1989. Most of the owners of Los Alamos were interested in farming cheaply and growing high yields, which was less appealing to Au Bon Climat. In 2004, the care of this vineyard was "turned over" to Tavo Acosta, a new generation of wine growers in the Santa Maria region, who are driven to grow the best grapes for the best wines. This new approach is more intensive and expensive than previous methods, but the difference in quality is significant. The improvements at the Los Alamos vineyard continue and remain an important part of the Au Bon Climat portfolio.

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.