Founded in 1982, Au Bon Climat produces internationally-recognized Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from grapes grown in California's Santa Barbara County.
Located at the foot of one of California's most highly rated vineyards, Bien Nacido in the Santa Maria Valley, one of the finest sites in California, ideal for the production of the refined, Burgundian style of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. ABC, as it is more commonly referred to, has won universal acclaim for its wines thanks to late owner & winemaker Jim 'Wild Boy' Clendenen. They continue Jim's legacy, treating Burgundy as the benchmark. They purchased clones of Pinot Noir from Burgundy in a bid to replicate as closely as possible the restraint and finesse of the wines from the region.
Jim eschewed a career in law for the lure of the vine following a month's stay in Burgundy and Champagne when he was 21 and never looked back. The wines combine the mineral precision and grace of Burgundy with the flair of the West Coast.