ABCs

If you haven’t yet noticed, I am obsessed with Au Bon Climat’s Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir:

It’s on my list of Five Current Faves.
It’s the go-to weekday wine in our house.
It’s my #1 recommendation when someone asks for a great, affordable Pinot Noir.

I love it so much, you’d think I’d be able to tell you all about Au Bon Climat’s other wines. But, I’ve been so busy buying their Pinot Noir by the case, that I haven’t tried anything else…until now.

Au Bon Climat makes Burgundian inspired wines in Santa Barbara, California. They are truly people speaking my language: Franglish. So I decided it was time to put down their Pinot Noir for two seconds and try two of their whites.

Surprise, surprise….they’re terrific.

Au Bon Climat’s 2021 Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris was my favorite of the two. (It’s 60% Pinot Gris and 40% Pinot Blanc. ) On the first sniff, I got hints of honeysuckle, tropical fruit, and some tea. On the second whiff, I got citrus fruits and wet stone. This wine has an amazingly buttery soft finish— not butter flavor like an overdone Chardonnay—just a plush, soft, beautiful finish with some lemons and salt too. This wine spent time on the lees (dead yeast cells) in the barrel, which you can thank for that beautiful creamy finish. A really fabulous white wine, it’s just $25.99 on wine.com. This blend is great on its own. I’d also love it with chicken, fish, or pastas in light white or cream sauces.

The 2022 Santa Barbara Chardonnay was really good too. It was surprisingly pale for a Chardonnay and not wildly fragrant, but I did get notes of orchard fruit like green apple, some minerals, and cream. It had nice acidity for a Chardonnay, flavors of lemon custard, and a smooth long finish. You can taste the impact of the lees here too. It’s a great choice if you don’t like buttery or oaky Chardonnays. I would drink this with the same pairings as the Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris. It’s $26.99 on wine.com.