French Chardonnay is often lighter and more restrained, with regions like Chablis, Côte de Beaune, and Mâconnais offering distinct expressions tied to terroir.
American Chardonnay varies widely by region, from oak-rich Napa Valley wines to fresher, mineral-driven bottles from places like Santa Barbara and Oregon.
Winemaking choices, such as the use of oak or malolactic fermentation, play a major role in shaping Chardonnay’s style, sometimes more than geography alone.
Many believe there are two types of Chardonnay — the light, mineral-forward wines that come from places like Burgundy and Chablis, or the oaky, butter-slicked bottles from California zip codes.
While there is a glimmer of truth to these stereotypes, they are largely misconceptions. The truth is, Chardonnay is a shapeshifting grape. The variety is grown around the world, and blooms in both hot and cool climates. Chardonnay can make wines that are creamy and opulent, or mineral-driven and piercing in France, as well as the United States.
The nuances of French-made Chardonnay
France is the birthplace of Chardonnay, and it’s grown across the country. There are the cool, northern vineyards of Champagne, where Chardonnay grapes are conjured into bright, mineral bubbles. And there are the elegant, ethereal, and highly collectible wines of Burgundy, Chardonnay’s ancestral home.
“If I had to distill the differences into the simplest descriptions, French wines are lighter, fresher, less aromatic than American wines,” says Julien Howsepian of Kosta Browne Winery, who makes wine in both Burgundy and California. “Generally, [French Chardonnay is] tighter in texture and weight, longer, skinnier, and elegant.”
From there, wine enthusiasts can argue over the nuances of French Chardonnay.
Chablis, Burgundy’s northernmost appellation, is best known for its acidity and leanness, with flinty, steely mineral notes. Côte de Beaune is home to the Grand Cru Chardonnays, including Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet, some of the greatest and most expensive white wines in the world. Head further down Burgundy, and you’ll find Mâconnais, where the Chardonnay gets warmer, with notes of white peach and ripe apple. These wines are also generally more affordable.
The varied aromatics of American Chardonnay
Howsepian describes American Chardonnay as more aromatic and deeper, with more body, roundness, and softness. There’s a freshness and ripeness that defines California wine.
In warmer regions of the state, like the Napa Valley and Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, producers will balance out the ripeness of fruit by fermenting or aging the wine in new oak, which adds flavors of butter or dairy to the wine, via a process called malolactic fermentation.
This process can be divisive. While some use oak as a mild seasoning — a little salt and pepper to bring out the grape’s best self — some winemakers, particularly those in the 1980s and ’90s, used oak with a heavier hand, overprocessing the wine until it tasted like buttered popcorn. This kicked off a counter-Chardonnay movement in the wine community: “Anything But Chardonnay” (ABC).
It’s important to note that when it comes to American Chardonnay, the taste often depends on the region in which it’s grown.
American wine extends well beyond Napa. Drive up into the Santa Cruz Mountains, where Chardonnays taste like fresh mountain air. Try wines from Thomas Fogarty, Madson, Windy Oaks Estate, Beauregard, and Birchino. The Central Coastal city of Santa Barbara produces Chardonnay with a seaside tang, especially from producers like Au Bon Climat and Diatom. And Oregon offers more Burgundian-style wines.
Ivo Jeramaz, the winemaker at Grgich Hills Estates, points out that the best French Chardonnays are exalted because of their terroir, where they’re made. “I hope wine drinkers can appreciate that in American Chardonnays,” he says. “They are not a monolith, as the exceptionally diverse wine-growing environments in the United States allow for equally diverse expressions of Chardonnay.”
Winemaking style is everything
Chardonnay can also morph based on who’s making it. Some winemakers love a more opulent, indulgent style, while others prefer restraint and minerality.
Jeramaz considers oak a cradle, where wines are nurtured. “The oak barrels and foudres we use are not a dominant flavor enhancer, serving instead as a medium to elevate the wine with subtle influence,” he says.
Matt Crafton, winemaker at Chateau Montelena, uses his oak judiciously, like seasoning. He adds a touch if the vintage dictates.
“California can be beautifully expressed in many ways,” says Crafton. “It’s easy for a Chardonnay lover to find a dozen, or more, different styles of Chardonnay from the same region or AVA.” Even in the Napa Valley, “there is a style of Chardonnay to fit most people’s preference. There’s rich, textured, and powerful to delicate, elegant, and ethereal. And they’re all well-made, just different.”
If you haven’t liked one style of Chardonnay, don’t write off the entire category. If you’re a fan of white wines, there’s a Chardonnay for you.
Why are French and American Chardonnays still pitted against each other?
When it comes to the world’s most popular white wine, there will always be a discussion around the old guard and the underdogs, the classics and the cool kids. While France has thousands of years of vine-growing and wine-making history, American wine production is in its infancy. Vines were planted by missionaries in the 1700s, but only became widespread in the 1970s and ’80s.
Matt Crafton, winemaker at Chateau Montelena
“While we don’t necessarily have hundreds of years of history, we deliver when it comes to what’s in the bottle. We’re not trying to be Burgundy, and they’re not trying to be us. Our Chardonnay has its own identity. There is something magical and unique about Montelena [Winery] and California Chardonnay.”
— Matt Crafton, winemaker at Chateau Montelena
The rivalry hit a climax at the Judgment of Paris in 1976, when a wine merchant named Steven Spurrier squared up the best wines of both France and California in a blind tasting, judged by some of the top names in wine. The winners were Chateau Montelena 1973, a Napa Chardonnay, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, a Napa Cabernet. It was a big upset, showing the world that Napa Chardonnay could kick it in the big leagues.
“While we don’t necessarily have hundreds of years of history, we deliver when it comes to what’s in the bottle,” says Crafton. “We’re not trying to be Burgundy, and they’re not trying to be us. Our Chardonnay has its own identity. There is something magical and unique about Montelena [Winery] and California Chardonnay.”
Both regions make beautiful Chardonnays, and different Chardonnays.
“To oak or not to oak….there is a vast range of winemaking styles in which Chardonnay can be expressed,” says TJ Evans, winemaker at Domaine Chandon. “The proliferation of growing regions, or microclimates, that feature Chardonnay, makes it difficult to generalize about techniques and stylistic choices of a given area.”
“We’re well past the question of whether some Chardonnay wines are good or bad in Napa Valley,” says Crafton. “The expertise, knowledge, and frankly, the expectations of the market, have continued to push quality at a breathtaking pace. In Napa Valley, and America in general, I feel the optimism in that we have yet to make our best wines.”
So take note of what you like, and who made it. Both regions make good, great, and glorious wine. It’s up to you to find your next favorite bottle.
“In the end, the style of Chardonnay is mainly the result of the winemaker’s choice and skill,” says Howsepian. “And while regional differences certainly exist, finding a producer whose style sings to one’s preference is the most important result. And one may be surprised to find out where it came from.”
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