Au Bon Climat

Au Bon Climat was started in 1982 by Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach (who left in 1990). From the beginning, Au Bon Climat’s purpose was to concentrate on the burgundian varieties. Sourcing fruit from some of the most fabled vineyards in the state as well as from their own Le Bon Climat vineyard, they now has a 50,000 case production from 27 hectares of owned vineyards and 40 hectares from which they buy the fruit. Clendenen became besotted with Burgundy when living in France in the 1970’s and has ploughed a lone furrow since. At a time in the late 80’s and 90’s when Californian wine was obsessed with over alcoholic, over oaky and over extracted wines, egged on by Robert Parker (who was famously very dismissive of ABC), Jim continued to make wines on the european model of finesse and elegance. As young winemakers in California increasingly aim at lighter fresher styles, the wines of ABC are finally coming back into vogue over there.