Chardonnay

The Story of Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the world's most widely planted white grape, and also one of the most misunderstood. It originated in Burgundy, France — where it produces some of the most celebrated and expensive white wines on the planet — but it has since traveled to virtually every wine-producing country on earth.

What makes Chardonnay unique is that it has almost no strong personality of its own. It's a blank canvas. The climate where it's grown and the choices the winemaker makes in the cellar define the wine far more than the grape itself. This is why a Chablis and a California Chardonnay can taste like completely different wines — because they essentially are.

Oaky Chardonnay

Oak-aged Chardonnay spends time in oak barrels, sometimes undergoing malolactic conversion — a process that converts sharp malic acid to softer lactic acid, adding dairy notes of butter and cream to both the texture and flavor. The result is full-bodied and rich, with flavors of peach, vanilla, butter, toast, and sometimes coconut. Think Napa Valley or Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Steely (Unoaked) Chardonnay

Unoaked Chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel tanks with no oak contact at all. The result is a completely different wine — crisp, mineral-driven, high in acidity, with flavors of green apple, lemon, lime, and wet stone. Chablis is the classic benchmark. These wines are about freshness and precision, not richness.

Important Regions

Chardonnay grows almost everywhere, but these regions define what the grape can truly achieve.

What to Look for on the Label

• In Burgundy, labels say "Chablis," "Meursault," or "Puligny-Montrachet" — not "Chardonnay." The grape is understood.
• "Unoaked" or "Unwooded" on the label means no oak barrel aging — what you're looking for if steely is your style.
• Australian Chardonnays have improved dramatically since the over-oaked 1990s. Don't dismiss them based on old reputation.
• Hawke's Bay, not Marlborough, is New Zealand's primary Chardonnay region. Marlborough is Sauvignon Blanc country.
• Price is a reasonable guide — a $12 Chardonnay will not taste like a Meursault. But good value exists at every level, particularly from Mâconnais and Chile.