Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1061132
{ SOMMjournal.com } 77 BOB LINDQUIST AND JIM CLENDENEN ARE WINE TRAILBLAZERS IN THE SANTA MARIA VALLEY AT THE WINERY they established in 1982, friends Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist keep things fresh by evolving their partnership through Clen- denen's Au Bon Climat and Lindquist's Qupé labels. "Every vintage is a new one—it never gets old or boring," Lindquist says. "Wine is a vineyard and weather commodity with wild variables." Clendenen says he "cut his teeth" on French wine and makes achieving balance his highest priority. He also prefers channeling an Old World style: "I have never—and will never—follow trends for ripening or making more fruit-forward wines," he says. "I am not opposed to aging my Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs to 20 years." His Au Bon Climat 2016 Chardonnay is still in barrel, but the sampling was fresh, clean, and aromatic. It's the Central Coast itself, particularly the climate of the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez growing regions, that inspires these veterans. "This area is special for what we do," Lindquist says. Inside the winery, which is hidden away within the boundaries of the Bien Nacido Vineyard, Clendenen is busy cooking lunch for his crew, as he does whenever he has a break from traveling. The winemaker, however, still has time to make a confident dec - laration: "The first name in California Syrah and California Rhône varieties should be Qupé," he says, "and the first name in California's Burgundian- style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay should be Au Bon Climat." Qupé 2017 Marsanne, Los Olivos District ($24) Fresh, crisp, and elegant with exquisite floral notes threading through jasmine, gardenia, and mandarin orange. Farmed organically on an 11-acre vineyard. Roussanne is blended in (25%) for weight and contributes notes of cashew and baked apple. 92 Au Bon Climat 2016 Hildegard Estate White, Santa Maria Valley ($21) A blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Aligote barrel-fermented and aged in French oak. Creamy and full-bodied with low alcohol. "I rack it, fine it, and put it back in the barrel," Clendenen says. 92 Qupé 2014 Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard Grenache, Edna Valley ($35) Bright and vibrant with red-tea aromatics, roses, and rhubarb spice. Planted in 2005, the vineyard was Demeter-certified Biodynamic in 2009. Accord - ing to Clendenen, this cool-climate Grenache is handled more like a Pinot Noir in the cellar to preserve a light body and structure. 93 Au Bon Climat 2014 Knox Alexander Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley ($50) Named after Clendenen's son Knox, this wine features fruit from the Le Bon Climat estate as well as the nearby Bien Nacido Vineyard. Choco - late, cherry, and cranberry perfume this 20th vintage expression. A wash of white-peppered red fruit tingles from precise acidity. 94 PHOTOS COURTESY OF ABC FINE WINE AND SPIRITS Au Bon Climat Winemaker Jim Clendene prefers channeling an Old World style in his wines. Bob Lindquist, Winemaker for Qupé, shows off an old Syrah from his library. Two Forefathers