Bob on Sonoma: Interesting Facts About Calfornia Chardonnay

Friday, May 30, 2025

Interesting Facts About Calfornia Chardonnay

A little bit about Chardonnay from California, the love it or hate it wine. It even has its own "club," the ABC or Anything But Chardonnay.

Interesting Facts About California Chardonnay

Before the 1970s when Chardonnay became popular it was often referred to by consumers as Chablis, a wine region in France. In a restaurant, you'd ask for a glass of Chablis and get some sort of white wine, usually a California Chardonnay.

It is the most planted grape in California, the most popular wine in the country, and the fifth most-planted grape worldwide.

The counties growing the most Chardonnay are Monterey (Central Coast), Sonoma (North Coast), and San Joaquin (Central Valley).

The grape originated in Burgundy, France. Its parent grapes are Pinot Noir and the nearly extinct white grape, Gouais Blanc.

The wine is considered a blank canvas, as it can be manipulated by the winemaker into many different styles. They run from crisp and lean to full-bodied, oaky, and buttery.

Most California Chardonnay is ready to drink from one to three years after the vintage date on the bottle. Some can age many years. Older ones can have butter, caramel, and nutty characteristics.

Interesting Facts About California Chardonnay's Flavor

As was said above, Chard is kind of a blank canvas, allowing the winemaking process to determine the final product. The key ones are:

Malolactic fermentation
MLF is a secondary fermentation where bacteria convert the naturally occurring tart malo acid into softer lactic acid. This gives the buttery and creamy notes to the wine. Most reds and some whites go through MLF. A Chardonnay can have 100% MLF, partial MFL, or none.

Oak barrels
Typical flavors from the oak are vanilla, caramel, and a toastiness. Barrels from different regions have different characteristics, such as French vs Hungarian vs American oak. New oak barrels have stronger flavors, used ones are more neutral. The inside of the barrels are toasted to impart flavors like vanilla, coconut, smoke, and butterscotch depending on how heavy the toast level. Typically, premium California Chardonnay will age in a combination of new and used French oak with a medium toast. Cheaper Chard may use oak chips.

Some Interesting California Chardonnays

Aubert produces several Chardonnays, most are from the Sonoma Coast, and average about $100 a bottle from the winery, if you're on their mailing list. Because of the rarity and demand, retail store prices will be higher. Even with their 15% alcohol levels, these wines are said to age a decade or more.

Chateau Montelena, from Napa Valley. This is one of the most iconic California wines, as the 1973 version won the Judgment of Paris to help put California wine on the map. That one wasn't labeled Napa Valley, as the fruit came from both Napa and Sonoma. Would you like a bottle of the '73 as a keepsake? When you do find one available online, they are going for north of $50k. The current release can be found for about $75.

Chateau St. Jean is best known for Chardonnay. Their Chard from the Robert Young Vineyard in Alexander Valley has been highly-regarded for decades. This wine retails for $65. This wine no longer lists the vineyard name on the front label, though the tech sheet says the grapes are all from the Robert Young Vyd. It just says Alexander Valley. Perhaps Robert Young Winery asked them not to, avoiding confusion with their own winery name.

Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve is the best-selling Chardonnay in the country. It sells for around $15, sometimes as low as $10. Most California Chardonnay drinkers have had this one. If not, it's time!

Kistler makes about a dozen Chardonnays from vineyards across Sonoma County. They have long been considered one of the best, if not the best, producers of Chard in the county. They run $75 and up and are sold to their mailing list, though a couple of them can occasionally be found in stores.

Marcassin Sonoma Coast Marcassin Vineyard Chard is from famous California winemaker Helen Turley. Just a few hundred cases made each year. Current vintages sell for about $500; older vintages can be several thousand. It's unlikely you will ever see this on a store shelf. It's unlikely most of us would pay that much for one.

Ramey Chardonnays, unlike Aubert and Marcassin, are available to you and me. Their current list shows four from the Russian River and Sonoma Coast growing areas, ranging in price from $50 to $85. One is from the legendary Rochioli Vyd. They also sell bottles from past vintages.

Wente Morning Fog and Riva Ranch bottlings retail for $18 and $22 respectively. Wente Vineyards was instrumental in putting Chardonnay on the map in California. Seventy-five percent of California Chardonnay vines are the Wente clone.