The New and Improved California Chardonnay
“The air is wine. The grapes on a score of rolling hills are red with autumn flame. Across Sonoma Mountain, wisps of sea fog are stealing. The afternoon sun smolders in the drowsy sky. I have everything to make me glad I am alive.” — Jack London
In California, Chardonnay is grown just about everywhere, from the vast acreage of the Central Valley to tiny, well-tended pockets along the coast. It is the state’s most widely planted grape and the most common wine enjoyed in the United States, according to the Wine Institute.
When winemakers choose to pick Chardonnay at higher levels of ripeness, the resulting wine often has intensity and creaminess. It can taste quite tropical, with a mélange of pineapple and mango flavors.
If picked when less ripe, it often offers crisp acidity and flavors of green apple, citrus, and even ginger and lemongrass. The choice of oak barrels also plays a prominent role in determining a Chardonnay’s character. The grape is often called a blank canvas, and heavy oak use can define a Chardonnay wine nearly entirely, embracing elements of vanilla, butter, and crème brulee.
Made poorly, the wine can be one-dimensional in oak or ripe, sticky sweet flavors. Made well, with a balance of acidity and tannin that allows for structure, Chardonnay can age beautifully, defying many people’s belief that white wines are less worthy of the cellar.
Located north of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma County is the largest producer in Northern California’s Wine Country, with almost 60,000 acres of vineyards, more than 400 wineries, and 18 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs, or appellations), each with its distinctive characteristics.
Sonoma is home to the state of California’s oldest commercial winery, Buena Vista, as well as the oldest continuously operating family winery, Gundlach Bundschu. And, there are more than 425 wineries on almost 60,000 acres. That means there are a lot of decisions to be made before you start a Sonoma wine tasting adventure.
Sonoma Coast (Subregions: Chalk Hill, Green Valley, Russian River, Sonoma Valley, Fort Ross) 2,000 vineyard acres — Sonoma County’s largest AVA runs along the coast and Burgundian varietals Pinot Noir and Chardonnay star in this cool-climate appellation.
Russian River Valley AVA is famous for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Chalk Hill AVA
Known for its ‘Chablis-like’ chalky soils are growing Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Carved out of a curious northeast corner of the Russian River Valley AVA, the Chalk Hill AVA is characterized by its warmer climate and volcanic soils.
Fort Ross / Seaview AVA
This new AVA contains some of the most lusted-after Chardonnay, carved out of the larger Sonoma Coast AVA with special consideration to elevation and other characteristics specific to growing wine grapes in this remote and rugged region.
Those who say no way to Sonoma Chardonnay are missing out on a beautiful wine. Made in many different styles in many different places, it’s among the most versatile of varietals, rich and voluptuous in some cases, racy and acid-driven in others, with many variations in between.
The dominant white wine grape of Burgundy, Chardonnay doesn’t bring with it the baggage of its Burgundian brother Pinot Noir, notorious for being fussy and fickle to grow. But it’s the powerhouse behind Champagne, picked early to capture the high acidity and mineral components that give sparklers their zing.
