Town & Country has published an easily digestible A-Z guide to help readers better understand Chardonnay – and perhaps their misconceptions on this versatile grape. As part of the history, Writer Lauren Hubbard notes that American chardonnay started capturing the spotlight in 1976, following Chateau Montelena’s stunning win in The Judgment of Paris blind tasting against French wines. This prompted a huge spike in popularity of California chardonnays until the 1990s when many producers started bottling overly oaky, buttery styles, causing a backlash on Chardonnay. Now, however, there are so many unoaked, fresh and refined styles from around the world – allowing Chardonnay to once again enjoy the credit it deserves. The writer calls out a few of her favorite expressions, including the Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016. There is a lot of great information in this story, worth a read HERE
