Au Bon Climat Hildegard Estate White Blend 2018
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
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Winemaker Notes
Food matches that work with Chardonnay would work fine with Hildegard.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 55% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc, and 5% Aligote, the 2018 Hildegard Estate White Blend comes mostly from the Bien Nacido Vineyard and was barrel fermented and aged 18 months in 66% new French oak. It offers a Burgundian bouquet of spiced orchard fruits, brioche, honeysuckle, and spicy oak to go with a beautifully textured, medium-bodied, elegant style on the palate. It shows a touch of nuttiness with time in the glass and has bright yet integrated acidity as well as a great finish. I always love this wine, and the 2018 is no exception.
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Wine Enthusiast
The white Burgundian blend is a lost, or perhaps never found, art in the New World, but Jim Clendenen's blend of 55% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc and 5% Aligoté always makes one wonder why. Aromas of freshly squeezed lemon, honeysuckle, grapefruit peel, Asian pear and light pecan lead into a texturally taut palate that blends brisk citrus and warm, salty flavors seamlessly.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Hildegard opens with flint and crushed stone notes over a core of toasty white peaches and floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate is toasty and perfumed with uplifting yeasty touches and bright freshness, finishing long and ultra perfumed. Interesting and yummy!
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In 1982, Jim Clendenen decided, along with Adam Tolmach, to start a winery dedicated to Burgundian varietals in leased quarters. Adam left in 1990 to pursue his own efforts leaving Jim solo at the helm. Through careful re-investment from its own production, Au Bon Climat (which means "a well exposed vineyard") has grown to over 50,000 cases annually.
Au Bon Climat sources fruit from several of the most highly regarded vineyards in the Central Coast. These include Clendenen’s own Le Bon Climat Vineyard and estate plantings at the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard – both in Santa Maria Valley, along with Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills, Los Alamos Vineyard (Santa Barbara County), and San Luis Obispo County's Talley Vineyard.
The winery has cultivated an international reputation for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Jim Clendenen, the “Mind Behind” Au Bon Climat, is recognized worldwide for his classically styled wines. In addition to his Burgundian-focused Au Bon Climat wines, Jim also established another brand, Clendenen Family Vineyards. This project of passion allows him to make artisan, small lots of distinctive wines from a wider spectrum of varieties in styles conducive to small lots. He has received high acclaim for Italian varietals particularly his Nebbiolo that has a five year aging regimen in barrel.