Inside an unassuming corner of the Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley, in front of old riddling racks and stacks of French oak, one of the most important California wineries of the last half-century has quietly gone about its work. The name is French for a well-exposed vineyard, a site with the right climate. The story is pure Santa Barbara.

The mind behind

Au Bon Climat was founded in 1982 by Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach, two young winemakers who had fallen hard for the wines of Burgundy and believed the cool Santa Maria Valley could speak the same language. At a time when most of California was chasing power and ripeness, they chased the opposite: balance, restraint, acidity, and the patience to age. Tolmach left a few years later to found The Ojai Vineyard, and Clendenen became the singular force the wine world came to know simply as the mind behind.

With his long hair, his booming laugh, and his encyclopedic palate, Jim Clendenen was the closest thing Santa Barbara wine ever had to a rock star. He was named Food and Wine’s Winemaker of the Year, his wines earned Robert Parker’s praise as among the best in the world, and he spent decades as the region’s loudest, most generous ambassador. He held his house style steady across more than forty vintages, never chasing trends. When he passed away in 2021, he left a legacy his children, Isabelle and Knox, now carry forward, along with the same uncompromising philosophy.

Balance, restraint, and longevity, fiercely followed from the very first vintage.

The wines: Burgundy by way of Santa Maria

At its heart, Au Bon Climat is a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir house, built on the cool, fog-washed fruit of Bien Nacido and other top Santa Maria Valley sites. The Chardonnays are unmistakably Burgundian, married to French oak and old-world technique, full but cut with bright acidity and built to age for a decade or more. The Pinot Noirs are perfumed and savory rather than sweet. But Clendenen’s restless curiosity also pushed the winery into a remarkable range of varieties rarely seen in California: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Aligote, Viognier, Gewurztraminer, and the obscure northern-Italian white Tocai Friulano, plus a separate label, Clendenen Family Vineyards, launched in 2000 as his personal passion project.

What to drink it with

These are wines made for the table, not the trophy shelf. The Burgundian Chardonnay is a natural with Dungeness crab in butter, seared scallops, or a roast chicken, where its acidity cuts the richness and its oak echoes the browning. The Pinot Noir wants duck, salmon, or anything with mushrooms, meeting the earth of the dish on the same savory note. And the aromatic whites, the Pinot Gris and Tocai Friulano, are made for a charcuterie board or a plate of cured fish, where their perfume and weight stand up without overwhelming.

Plan your visit

While the winery itself sits out at Bien Nacido in the Santa Maria Valley, Au Bon Climat pours for the public at its tasting room in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, a short walk from the historic Presidio. Reservations are recommended, and the wine library is worth the trip on its own.

Frequently asked questions