[R]Evolution
Chardonnay’s reign in the U.S. is undisputed. Not only is it the most widely planted grape, it is the best-selling white wine year after year. But far from taking this white grape for granted, winemakers continue to discover the variety’s potential and evolve the current style of Chardonnay.
Today, a focus on terroir, as well as evolutions in the vineyards and cellar, are paving a new path for American Chardonnay. “Over the last 30 years, we’ve really narrowed in on where we should be planting and what we should be planting, and that's where our biggest jumps in quality have come; getting the right plant material in the right place,” says Jeff Stewart, winemaker at Hartford Family Winery.
Meanwhile, new tools and vinification techniques - a variety of fermentation vessels, the use of skin contact, and types of yeast strains, for example - help winemakers push the boundaries and notions of American Chardonnay, bringing us into a new golden era for the grape.
![sideways wine bottle illustration](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_orig_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS-illos_blank-VR-bottle_full-color-Clipped.jpg?itok=GlVIlWdJ)
Chardonnay is first documented
![illustration of planting grapes](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-02/WS%20illos_Vine%20Planting_color.png?itok=9D16GANg)
Chardonnay comes to America
![illustration of a suitcase with clothing inside](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_Suitcase_color.png?itok=mnkBDWNm)
VARIETAL LABELING
![Illustration of a bottle of chardonnay](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_Generic%20CH_color%20copy.png?itok=LBVtkDs7)
CHARDONNAY'S ADAPTABILITY ATTRACTS ATTENTION
![Drawing of Chardonnay bottle with graduation cap](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS-illos_CH-Edu_color.png?itok=VrESyEol)
CHARDONNAY COMES TO NAPA
![Napa Valley Sign](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_NV%20Sign_color.png?itok=dpoJN6Xb)
CHARDONNAY POISED FOR GROWTH
![Pouring wine into glass](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_CH%20pour_color.png?itok=SrhiMGwJ)
CHARDONNAY STILL NOT WELL KNOWN
![Illustration of a bottle of white burgundy](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_White%20Burgundy_color.png?itok=PNpaELf2)
THE JUDGEMENT OF PARIS
![Row of Judges](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_Judgment%20Paris_color.png?itok=_6zeNunA)
NEW WORLD AND OLD WORLD COLLABORATE
![Symbols of wine making in speech bubbles](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_CH%20Talk_color.png?itok=zvgfANoH)
FIRST VINTAGE OF KENDALL-JACKSON VINTNER'S RESERVE CHARDONNAY
![Illustration of the Kendall-Jackson Logo](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_KJ%20Logo.png?itok=t0RVLhma)
Chardonnay Growth Explodes in America
![Illustration of vines at different stages of growth](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_CH%20Growth.png?itok=rZoVVpvS)
Chardonnay Goes to Washington
![Illustration of the White House](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_White%20House_color.png?itok=uDhNsQDx)
Chardonnay Expands to Oregon
![Illustration of the State of Oregon](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS-illos_map_Oregon_0.png?itok=NZGyH_yT)
Anything but Chardonnay
![Illustration of a woman turning down a glass of chardonnay](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_ABC_color.png?itok=4qpOQhF2)
Chardonnay Still #1
![Illustration of a woman hugging a very large bottle of white wine](/sites/default/files/styles/imgv2_1x1_fit_bthumb/public/2020-01/WS%20illos_CH%20Love002.png?itok=81zi_hC1)