California Chardonnay

Chardonnay is California’s most-planted white winegrape and is far and away the most popular wine in the United States. With sales increases every year, Chardonnay has been the nation’s leading varietal wine for the last decade.

The wine’s classic flavor descriptors include green apple, fig and citrus, with medium-to-full body, complex aroma and moderate acidity. Chardonnay is often aged in oak to produce vanilla and toast overtones. In recent years, many California winemakers have moved away from the opulent style of Chardonnay popular in the 1980s and 1990s in favor of more subtly oaked and unoaked versions.

Genetic studies have identified Chardonnay as a cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc. Historical references note California plantings of Chardonnay dating back to the late 1800s, but production remained limited because of low yields. Most Chardonnay vineyards, with the exception of small plantings in the Livermore Valley and Santa Cruz Mountains, were uprooted during Prohibition, when growers replaced them with thick-skinned varieties that could be shipped across the country. It was not until the 1970s that Chardonnay plantings boomed in response to the wine’s surging popularity.