World-renowned Napa Valley and its Chardonnays may have recovered some lost ground in the past 16 months, since a disappointing tasting when The Chronicle wine panel recommended a meager 12.8 ...

The winery's Chardonnay was emblematic of the era: ripe with apricot and tropical fruit notes, fermented and aged in new oak, buttery and almost unctuous. And yet it was also somehow zippy with ...

Since Chardonnay is not born tasting oaky and buttery, winemakers have responded by going heavy on new oak barrels (and oak chips too) while taking malolactic fermentation beyond its acid ...

You either love it or hate it, period. I’m referring to the relationship between oak and Chardonnay wine. It seems that during the 1980s and 1990s, Chardonnay began a period of transformation ...

Few wine lovers suffer more abuse than the aficionados of oaky, buttery Chardonnay. Except for the stubborn, foolhardy few who will not relinquish their white zinfandel — courage, comrades!

Chardonnay can be a bit of a love/hate proposition for a lot of people, but it doesn't have to be that way! From buttery to fruity, oaked to unoaked find our reviews, recommendations and ...

California-grown chardonnay is most often associated with buttery and oak flavors; however, many California winemakers take a more classic French-inspired approach, yielding a white wine that is ...

The characteristics that I dislike in a glass of Chardonnay — those buttery, oaky, rich vanilla notes — are polarizing. You either love 'em or you hate 'em.

This week's buy: St. Supery Oak Free Chardonnay 2012. Chardonnay comes in many styles, from rich, buttery products of California to leaner offerings from France's Chablis region. Most chardonnays ...

Oak takes the blame when people snub chardonnay. Used judiciously, however, the wood helps to enrich and ennoble this white wine, which remains America’s most popular varietal despite the ...