JIM CLENDENEN Mind Behind AU BON CLIMAT Gone too soon, Jim Clendenen, aka Mind Behind, just passed away. Jim was an iconic legend in so many ways. He founded Au Bon Climat in 1982 which was one of the very early wineries in Santa Barbara County. He began his career working at Zaca […]
Click here to read entire article »INTRODUCTION In May I published two articles introducing the 2017 Rosé season. THE ROSÉ PARADE IS IT ROSÉ TIME? Since then I have been very busy tasting and drinking 2017 Rosés. It has become an annual rite of passage for me over many years now. And, after decades of buying, tasting, and drinking […]
Click here to read entire article »2018 HILLSIDE HOUSE SUNSET SOIRÉE WITH JIM CLENDENEN OF AU BON CLIMAT The annual Hillside House Sunset Soirée fundraising dinner was held June 9, 2018 at the historic El Mirador Estate in Montecito, CA (to read an article about the event click here ). It was a great success in all respects. The fundraiser was […]
Click here to read entire article »Recently The Daily Meal published a list of the 101 Best Wineries in America (to read that article click here). The Underground is linked to The Daily Meal and is a contributor. The list was compiled from selections made by sommeliers, chefs, restaurateurs, and wine writers based on quality, consistency, and value. The list was […]
Click here to read entire article »The Central Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA) extends about 250 miles along the coastline of California from San Francisco in the north to Santa Barbara in the south. It is approximately 25 miles in width and covers some four million acres with just under 100,000 acres planted to wine grapes. The region has about 360 […]
Click here to read entire article »I recently tasted newly released wines from The Ojai Vineyard and the visited the winery to taste more wines from barrel and bottle. These include wines from the 2010, 2011, and 2012 vintages. Several of the 2010s I reviewed from barrel after my last visit. Now bottled, these wines have evolved beautifully. There are […]
Click here to read entire article »WITH VIEWS OF CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAY AND CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIR FROM TWO PERSPECTIVES – IN PURSUIT OF BALANCE AND THE UNDERGROUND Introduction This was the second annual In Pursuit of Balance event which was conceived by Rajat Parr of Michael Mina and Sandhi Wines and Jasmine Hirsch of Hirsch Vineyards. The goal was […]
Click here to read entire article »I have written several articles featuring the great red and white wines of Argentina, Malbec and Torrontes. Both of these represent some of the greatest wine bargains in the world. (To see my latest article click here) Below is a note on two recently arrived Torrontes. They are terrific wines and great values.
Click here to read entire article »The Ojai Vineyard was started in 1983 by Adam Tolmach along with his wife Helen. Adam had been a partner with Jim Clendenen in starting Au Bon Climat in 1982. Prior to that time, he was the enologist at Zaca Mesa winery which was one of the early pioneer wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley. It was there that he met Jim Clendenen. He remained a partner of Au Bon Climat until 1991 as he continued to develop his winery.
Click here to read entire article »THE HOLY TRINITY OF WINERIES INTRODUCTION These three wineries are housed in one facility in Santa Maria. Au Bon Climat Winery (which means “a well exposed vineyard”) was founded in 1982 by Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach. Qupé Winery was also started in 1982 by Bob Lindquist. Chanin Wine Company was started in 2007 by […]
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