Tag: Vineyard

2026 Harvest – One for the Record Books

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By Sarah Atwood, Winemaker
Ghostwritten by Michael Meluskey, GM

Au Bon Climat brought in our first grapes on July 13th. In our 44-year history, this is the earliest harvest start we have ever had, a month to six weeks sooner than normal. 

Getting the winery ready for harvest is never a small task: equipment gets moved, serviced, cleaned, and put back to work just as the fruit starts rolling in. Add a busy July and August bottling schedule to free up tanks and barrels, and we saw a few weeks of controlled chaos, which is also why this update is being ghostwritten. 

The good news: even though harvest arrived early, the growing season has treated us well. A mild winter and early spring brought early bud break, but we avoided frost, had excellent fruit set, and have enjoyed a cool ripening season. We are very happy with the quality of the grapes coming in. 

If 2026 teaches us anything, it is that flexibility is not just helpful in harvest, it is required. We are moving quickly, adjusting daily, and doing our best to stay one step ahead of the grapes.

Harvest Recap 2025 from Au Bon Climat

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A RECAP FROM Isabelle Clendenen

With Harvest coming to a close, it is nice to reflect on the season for Au Bon Climat and Clendenen Family. The first grapes of the season were Pinot Gris on August 25th. The next day Pinot Noir from Lalapanzi vineyard came in to kick off the reds. The last grapes are as of writing this yet to be picked, but they are looking to be in by the end of the week of October 12th. While the harvest was on the early side this year, we were lucky to avoid any crazy heat spikes that often can cause a bunch of fruit to come in at one time. The weather also allowed consistency for sugar and acid numbers from sampling to picking. Look forward to the shining bright acidity this vintage. 

Due to preparation for the changing of the guard next year, we saw different people stepping into new roles. Knox in particular really stepped it up this year by working harvest 7 days a week, most weeks. It was amazing to see how seamless the team has become. When asked to describe harvest in one word I was told “balanced” by Sarah, “clean” by Knox, “delicious” by Jim, “easy” by Enrique, and “manageable” by Marc. Lastly, for my harvest experience, I’ve been working on something fun that I’m excited about and looking forward to sharing with you when everything is finalized.

Dr. Gonzales Riesling

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COMING IN NOVEMBER

Everyone at the winery has the opportunity to try many different wines at our daily staff lunch.  We make a lot of Asian food, so we drink a lot of Riesling. Our cellar worker Miguel Gonzales, who is always smiling, LOVES Mosel-style Riesling. The opportunity to buy some terrific Riesling grapes presented itself, and we had not made a Riesling in a few years.

Miguel was involved in the entire process of making this wine.  From vineyard visits to crushing and fermenting and finally bottling, Miguel put his mark on this wine.  “Dr. Gonzales” is quite proud of how it turned out. “Dr. Gonzales Riesling” features a beautiful blend of tart acidity and chalky minerality, reminiscent of an off-dry Riesling. Look forward to it becoming available in November.

Aligoté is Back

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Aligoté Returns—Raise a Glass to Its Comeback!

AN UPDATE FROM SARAH ATWOOD, ENTOLOGIST

A little bit of rain goes a long way! The hillsides are turning green around Santa Maria Valley and the wildflowers are getting ready to bloom, which makes for one of the most picturesque times of year on the central coast. It is also budbreak in the vineyards—the start of new growth on the vines and a signal to the winery that the 2025 season has officially begun.One block that we are particularly excited about is nestled in the alluvial flats of Bien Nacido just down from the winery. In 2022, we worked with the Bien Nacido team to field graft a couple acres of Aligoté exclusively for Au Bon Climat. Aligoté, the “other” Burgundian white grape, has always been a critical blending component of our Hildegard white wine and often shown exceptionally well as a single varietal wine. This austere, high-acid variety was originally planted at the Le Bon Climat estate vineyard. When the vineyard sold, we quickly made plans to have vines grafted to Aligoté so we could continue to work with this wonderful grape. While the first crop from the new vines in 2024 made great wine, we are excited to see the potential of this fruit with one more year of maturity along with the great growing conditions we have witnessed so far this year.

INPUT FROM WINEMAKER, MARC PIRO

The reprobate grape of burgundy has made its way back to the Au Bon Climat winery. After a short hiatus, we are excited to announce the return of Aligoté to the Clendenen Family lineup.

Aligoté has a long history in Burgundy, fabled as one of the first white grapes planted in the region, suggested by Queen Hildegard. We pay homage to those original white grapes in our ancient Burgundian white blend, aptly named “Hildegard.”

Our winemaking history with Aligoté began 30 years ago, first sourcing the grape from Mistral Vineyard in 1995, then our Santa Maria Valley estate vineyard Le Bon Climat, and most recently in the alluvial flats of Bien Nacido.  Our 2024 single varietal Aligoté is true to its Burgundian roots. It is barrel fermented in neutral French oak barrels. Its acid driven core highlights lemon zest and pear flesh on the palate, while maintaining exquisite minerality.  This limited production wine will be bottled in May.

Clendenen Family Vineyards Brand says Adieu to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

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Clendenen Family has elected to stop bottling Chardonnay or Pinot Noirs

Jim Clendenen was best known for Au Bon Climat and its beautiful Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.  But Jim’s devotion for fine wine could not be limited to just Burgundian Varietals, so in 2000 he began Clendenen Family Vineyards. A passion project that allowed him to craft high end, small quantity wines from estate grown fruit, and exceptional varietals outside of Burgundy. With each vintage came new wines and new experimentations to discover the versatility of Santa Barbara County.

Much of the fruit sourced for Clendenen Family was from estate vineyards: Bien Nacido, Le Bon Climat and Rancho La Cuna.  These three vineyards also supplied Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that would be produced under the Clendenen Family label.

As both brands have grown and expanded worldwide, there was confusion among our customers between the Chardonnay and Pinots and how they differed between Au Bon Climat and Clendenen Family.  The vast number of wines made under both labels means it’s nearly impossible for our distributor’s sales teams, our customers and even some of our staff to keep everything straight. To eliminate this confusion, Clendenen Family has elected to stop bottling Chardonnay or Pinot Noirs. The Clendenen Family Chardonnay has blossomed into our limited production Bien Nacido  “K Block” and you can now find Rancho La Cuna Pinot Noir under the Au Bon Climat label.

Even without Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Clendenen Family wines diversity offers something for everyone. The wines are true to their varietal characteristics, are beautifully balanced, and pay homage to the style and winemaking of their homelands. Have fun exploring.

A Harvest 2024 Recap from Au Bon Climat

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A RECAP FROM Harvest intern, DEAN HANDY

Our first grapes of the season, from Sonoma’s Lala Panzi vineyard, arrived on August 20th, marking the start of what would be a fast-paced harvest. Things continued quickly, with Bien Nacido’s Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir ready for picking by late August. September was exciting as we raced to keep up with fruit that seemed to ripen all at once. Our white wine press effectively ran non-stop, processing Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc from Sierra Madre and Bien Nacido. Meanwhile, we continued to receive weekly bins of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Los Alamos Valley. By early October, when many wineries were finishing up, we shifted our attention to the bold reds of our smaller batch Clendenen Family Wines: Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, and Refosco.  

As our harvest season winds down, the mood among ABC’s harvest workers is a mixed bag. On one hand, we feel immense relief that there are no more tanks to fill, no pump-overs to manage, and that the noise of our Bien Nacido winery facility has quieted. On the other hand, there’s a strong sense that we will miss the camaraderie that comes from the organized chaos of harvest. It’s a bittersweet feeling to spend months working on wines we won’t see for a while. Now, all that’s left for the 2024 harvest is to wait as the fruits of our labor take their time to mature.

Read more about Dean’s experience with Au Bon Climat here.

Knox Clendenen: A Harvest 2024 Recap from France

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An EXCITING EXPERIENCE FOR CO-OWNER, Knox

Hello, it seems this “harvest update” post has become a reoccurring thing between the two of us. Don’t tell the others but you’re my favorite reader, you understand fine wine AND you’re a great listener. 

This harvest, I started my adventure in France, working at Domaine Merlin, a wonderful winery in the Mâconnais. They make fantastic Chardonnay, Gamay, and Pinot Noir while also sharing the same mentality as Au Bon Climat, affordability. The Domaine was started in 1987 by Olivier Merlin, and it is now run by his two sons: Teo and Paul. Though Teo and Paul carry out and manage the viticulture and vinification, Olivier and his wife Corinne are always there to give advice and lend a hand. Teo also worked a harvest at Au Bon Climat in 2012, so it was only natural for me to spend my only Old-World harvest with family friends. Though the harvest was only a few weeks, it was tough work. They start drinking wine over there at 9 am, THEN have coffee, THEN go back to work. Now I’d like to think that I am a professional when it comes to wine consumption, but it’s clear the French have me beat. I spent most of my time working with the reds, but I also helped with the Chardonnay when it was needed. I bombarded Teo with questions and luckily, he was kind enough to indulge my curiosity. I learned so much from them, not only about their stylistic choices for winemaking but also about the prominence wine has in their culture. To meet people that not only view wine with passion but also as a base necessity for social gatherings was truly comforting. I felt right at home. 

The Cellar Team (minus Knox)

Now I’m not going to sugar coat it. The year was tough for Burgundy. There was lots of rain which put a lot of mildew pressure on the vineyards. Botrytis was a common sight in the Côte-d’Or and the Mâconnais. However, the Domaines did what they could farming wise and despite how bad the year was I think there will be some exceptional wines. I’d like to think I lent a hand in making some 😉

I am so grateful for the hospitality of Domaine Merlin, my time there will always hold a special place in my heart. Now I am back at Au Bon Climat finishing up our vinification and I must say the wines, though in their infancy, are looking spectacular. We might end up giving Burgundy a run for their money for 2024. Always good to have a little bit of friendly competition. That’s all from me for this year. I hope you have a lovely Autumn with some lovely wines to boot.

Cheers, Knox Clendenen

Knox Clendenen: Harvest 2023 Recap

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An Update from CO-OWNER, Knox

Knox sits smiling in a barrel of grape vines after harvesting the fruit.

Good morning, afternoon, or evening to you dear reader. I have been let into the insulated and cool sanctuary that is the office to regale you with how our harvest is going so far. Contrary to last year, 2023 has been at a steady pace. In February and March, we had a profusion of rain, which provided much needed vigor to the vines. For most of late August and early September, the overcast weather caused the vines to take their time ripening the clusters. Our first arrival, Pinot Gris, came in on September 6th and since then we have picked Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. The vineyards have provided an abundance of grapes with splendid quality. The acidity is high while also reaching necessary sugar levels. I believe this will harmonize perfectly with our use of French oak, creating a balanced and restrained wine with limitless aging potential. Though it is already October, we have a long way ahead of us. The labor is intense, however we have smiles on our faces, and more importantly, an influx of caffeine coursing through our veins. We shall keep marching on and when harvest is over, champagne will be drunk, and many a siesta will be had.

Everything Signals a Good Harvest

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Keeping an eye on harvest 2023

Grapes send clear signals throughout their growing cycle, so far, all of the signals have been strong.

The cold and wet winter was a clear signal to take a break and shut down.  Vines need at least 6 weeks of dormancy, which was not a problem this year. The cool early summer has allowed the grapes an easy start to their growing cycle. With average daily temps now hitting 85 degrees the vines and grapes have been signaled to grow. These warm days with our foggy mornings are perfect conditions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

After many years, our winemaker Jim Adelman can walk the vineyards and pretty accurately predict the yields. His take on the coming harvest is Pinot Noir will be above average in yields while Chardonnay will be a bit below average.

One of the benefits of making wine, is that it never gets dull. Every harvest is a bit different. The 2022 harvest presented lots of challenges for our wine making team. Let’s hope 2023 is a bit easier on them!

Pinot Noir grapes at Bien Nacido Vineyard on Aug 4th going through veraison. Netting is used to keep the birds at bay. Harvest will be delayed a few weeks this vintage, but everything is looking good!

A Wild Ride for 2022 Harvest

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Recap: Harvest 2022

The 2022 harvest was challenging with its ill-timed rains and heat spikes, but our winery team is good at navigating around potential threats like these. You might say we are at our best when we get out of our comfort zone and guide the grapes to the best possible solution. Experience counts and we have been doing it for decades – with the same team! The high level of quality we deliver year after year in every wine speaks volumes. Our library wines attest to that. ▲

Harvest 2022 at Au Bon Climat
Harvest underway 2022 at Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara County
Bringing in the Chardonnay grapes, Harvest 2022 at Au Bon Climat