California Chardonnay can be a contentious topic. The category might bring to mind memories of overly buttery wines, coated in a thick layer of vanilla and spice that comes from aging in 100 percent new French oak. While everyone likely has that friend who insists they’ll drink “anything but Chardonnay” (or maybe that friend who only drinks Chardonnay), there’s no denying Cali Chard has made an important mark on the wine world.

Some producers lean into the stereotype, capitalizing on the rich ripeness that the California sunshine has to offer. Others showcase a lighter side of the grape, looking to the state’s coastal sites for fresher expressions. But when breaking the category down to its best — and most iconic — bottles, balance is the name of the game. And there are several legendary producers that showcase California’s ability to make impeccably balanced Chardonnays that stand out on the world stage.

Here, we asked wine pros to pick their top four California Chardonnays — whether they’re personal favorites, wines that helped define the state’s style, or bottles that had an outsized impact on the industry as a whole. Read on to find out which bottles wine experts would immortalize on their “Mount Rushmore” of Cali Chard.

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Jasmine Hirsch

General manager and winemaker, Hirsch Vineyards, Sonoma, Calif.
@jasminehirsch

Kongsgaard The Judge Chardonnay: John Kongsgaard started out making Chardonnay at Stony Hill in the ‘70s, then planted his vineyard The Judge in rocky soil in Coombsville on the advice of OG California wine guru André Tchelistcheff. Kongsgaard was one of the first California winemakers to make native, barrel-fermented Chardonnay, to not block malolactic fermentation, and to bottle his wines unfiltered. All practices that are now accepted as the norm in high-end Chardonnay, but at the time were revolutionary in California. The Kongsgaard Chardonnay is rich and often high in alcohol, yet fresh, kinetic, and complex. A divisive wine but undeniably compelling.

Kistler Chardonnay: Steve Kistler was one of the early pioneers of single-vineyard, terroir-driven Chardonnay in California. Kistler is one of the great practitioners and proselytizers of the opulent, riper style of California Chardonnay, and its wines offer both aging potential and hedonistic pleasure. With more than 30 years of history, Kistler is in the pantheon of California Chardonnay greats.

Ultramarine ‘Heintz Vineyard’ Sparkling Blanc de Blancs: Arguably the greatest sparkling winemaker in California, Michael Cruse uses sparkling wine to explore the state’s terroir. The Heintz Vineyard is one of the most singular, recognizable Chardonnay vineyards in California, providing fruit to some of the state’s greatest wineries. Ultramarine has achieved almost mythical status for its profound traditional-method sparkling wines that sell out immediately upon release and trade in the secondary market at two to three times release price.

Littorai ‘Mays Canyon’ Chardonnay: Ted Lemon, owner and winemaker of Littorai, is a pioneer of cool- climate winemaking in California. He was one of the first Americans to make wine in Burgundy, as the winemaker at Roulot in the 1980s, then came home to found Littorai in 1993. Mays Canyon is an extreme coastal vineyard farmed by the Porter-Bass family. Lemon is one of the greatest practitioners of balanced, elegant winemaking in California, and his wines have inspired a generation of winemakers to turn towards restraint, lower-alcohol, and lower-intervention winemaking.

Lauren Feldman

Co-owner and wine director, Valley Bar + Bottle, Sonoma, Calif.
@valleybarandbottle

Ceritas Charles Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay: John Raytek’s Ceritas has long been a favorite of mine for classic, cool-climate, Burgundian-style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. I’ve never had a bad bottle. The winery has been working with Charles Heintz Vineyard in Occidental since 2010, crafting complex, concentrated wines that speak to the site’s proximity to the ocean through its core of saline minerality. Old-vine age and a slow-ripening site contribute to the layers of complexity. I find this a home run for domestic-curious drinkers that are partial to cru Chablis.

Hanzell Ambassador’s 1953 Chardonnay: Hanzell Vineyards sits high on the very southern edge of the Mayacamas mountain range, overlooking the town of Sonoma. It’s one of the oldest continually operating wineries in the U.S. and continues to stake its claim as one of the absolute greats. While I generally lean to the Heritage bottling, which blends the estate vineyards and tends to lean rich yet brightly balanced and mineral, the Ambassador’s 1953 bottling showcases fruit from the property’s original two-acre block. The resulting wine is ripely concentrated, showcasing stone fruit, white blossoms, and a kiss of French oak tannin. This pleases a swath of drinkers ranging from your more typical California Chardonnay lover to those who gravitate toward Meursault and Montrachet.

Lady of the Sunshine Chene Vineyard Chardonnay: Lady of the Sunshine’s Gina Giugni is a farmer first. She is a second-generation biodynamic farmer, having grown up on her family’s property in the Sierra Foothills, Narrow Gate Vineyards. She spends countless hours in her vines and is a go-to biodynamic consultant for Central Coast projects that want to be farming-forward. Her Chene bottling is quintessentially Californian — not in the way people generally speak of an “oaky, buttery California Chardonnay” — but rather encapsulating the sun and the surf and the vibrancy of quality fruit that comes from being blessed with cool, long growing seasons (and impeccable farming).

Anthill Farms Campbell Ranch Chardonnay: Anthill Farms, I believe, flies under the radar, especially for its Chardonnay. Those that do know Anthill know it as a Pinot house with Kosta Brown credentials but, in the 11 years since founding the winery, David Low and Anthony Filiberti have honed a style that is entirely theirs. They always make the wines the same, vineyard to vineyard, vintage to vintage, so you know any variation you taste speaks to the specific time and place. I love the Campbell Ranch, which is the only Chardonnay the winery currently makes, for its coastal minerality balanced by neutral oak. It satisfies those that drink the leanest, most steely styles all the way up to someone that likes a good amount of richness and (ahem) butter.

Matthias Cattelin

Wine director, Verjus, San Fransisco
@matthiascattelin

Ceritas Chardonnay: Ceritas just keeps getting better every year. The winery’s Chardonnays are some of the purest expressions of coastal California: precise, saline, and deeply transparent. I especially love the Porter-Bass and Trout Gulch bottlings; both show incredible texture and minerality without ever feeling worked. Ceritas has proven that Chardonnay from the far coast can be as nuanced and age-worthy as anything from Burgundy, just with a California accent.

Peay Vineyards Estate Chardonnay: Peay sits right on the edge of the Sonoma Coast, where wind and fog keep things tight and focused. Its estate Chardonnay is one of my favorite examples of how that kind of marginal climate pays off. It’s bright and nervy but still layered and complete. There’s always this electric balance of citrus, crushed rock, and subtle lees. It’s the kind of wine that rewards patience and always feels honest to its place.

Au Bon Climat Los Alamos Chardonnay: Jim Clendenen really laid the foundation for what balanced California Chardonnay could be. Even today, the wines from Au Bon Climat carry that unmistakable signature of restraint, generous in flavor but always fresh and structured. The Los Alamos and Bien Nacido bottlings are classics for a reason — they capture that Central Coast sunlight with an Old World mindset. Every time I open one, I’m reminded how timeless his vision was.

Kongsgaard Chardonnay: Kongsgaard is pure Napa magic: volcanic soils, low yields, and a fearless approach to texture. The Chardonnay walks that fine line between power and precision, opulent and lifted, with this incredible sense of depth that only comes from truly great farming and patience in the cellar. It’s one of those wines that reminds you just how high the ceiling can be for California Chardonnay.

Nick Walters

Sommelier, Eleven Madison Park, NYC
@​​nick_lovin

Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 1973: The 1976 Judgment of Paris gets talked about a lot for the way it made the world pay attention to California Cabernet. How about a bottle of Napa Chardonnay that was ranked highest in a lineup that included Burgundy producers like Roulot and Leflaive? This is a legendary wine (there’s a bottle on display at the Smithsonian, for reference).

Kistler Durell Vineyard Chardonnay 1996: Late ‘90s Kistler Chardonnays are some of the most iconic Californian white wines ever made. Steve Kistler quietly transformed the way Americans drank Chardonnay (he and his daughter Catherine are also making the best Pinot Noir in the U.S. right now at Occidental, if you were wondering). I could have picked the first vintage of Kistler Dutton Ranch (1979), but I love the way his wines from the ‘90s have aged, showing both tension and unapologetic power.

Kongsgaard Chardonnay 1996: Speaking of unapologetic power, no one does it better than John Kongsgaard. The first vintage from the best white wine estate in California, this wine can go toe to toe with any bottle of Chardonnay on Earth. Maybe the bottle on this list I would want most on the table.

Littorai Mays Canyon Chardonnay 1993: The first vintage from Ted and Heidi Lemon, need I say more? Littorai represents to me a new wave of producers on the West Sonoma Coast, where [much] of the best Chardonnay in California is now being produced. An all-time great. If someone offers me the chance to drink this wine, I’m canceling all other plans.

Rachel Coe

Wine director, Quince, San Francisco
@quince_sf

Chateau Montelena Chardonnay: It goes without question that this comes in as No. 1 given the history with Montelena, Napa Valley, and the Judgment of Paris in 1976. Mike Grgich changed the way the world regarded California wines, and truly made “California Chardonnay” its own category. To this day, Montelena continues to produce intentional, true-to-Napa-Valley wines.

Kongsgaard The Judge Chardonnay: After years of making transcendental wines — and showing all of us Chardonnay doesn’t have to be filtered — John Kongsgaard remains a humble, music-adoring winemaker who takes that same focused intention a musician has to his farming and winemaking. “The Judge” is an expression of California Chardonnay that is rooted in calculated appreciation of site, simplicity, and harmony.

Au Bon Climat Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay: The history of Au Bon Climat (what we lovingly refer to as “ABC”) stems from Jim Clendenen’s vision of creating “Burgundian-like” California Chardonnay. The truth is he not only created tense, mineral-driven Chardonnay — he mentored and championed so many growers and winemakers in Santa Barbara for decades. Though the Sanford & Benedict vineyard was planted before Clendenen came into the picture, it’s now a vineyard site that is renowned for structural, low-alcohol, and frankly delightful Chardonnays from a myriad of talent, many of whom had the muse of Clendenen along the way. “ABC S&B” is an acronym all of us wine folk know and love.

Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay: You asked my opinion, so here we go: The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is one of the best sites for California Chardonnay. High elevation, proximity to the ocean, unique variety of soils — here we can actually appreciate the San Andreas fault — and of course the rugged, passionate talent that crafts these wines, make them truly unique. Jeff Patterson has been at the helm of Mount Eden for over 40 years, and his wines never fail to exceed expectations. Age-worthy, balanced, and transparent to site.

Dan Petroski

Winemaker, Massican, Napa Valley, Calif.
@danpetroski

David Ramey Sonoma Coast Chardonnay: Back in 2006, when I was interning at DuMOL and living in Sonoma County, I was just a few minutes from one of wine country’s great bottle shops: Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa. Once or twice a week, I’d stop in and treat myself to a half-bottle of David Ramey’s Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, just $14 at the time. For a young cellar rat barely breaking into the industry, it felt like pure luxury. Those bottles were formative. David Ramey is a maestro when it comes to Chardonnay, and that wine set the bar for me for what California Chardonnay should be.

Hyde de Villaine Chardonnay: The Hyde de Villaine (HdV) wines were made in partnership between Aubert de Villaine, of Burgundy’s famed Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Larry Hyde of Napa’s Hyde Vineyards. I first encountered it during the Stéphane Vivier era, the second French winemaker at HdV after Jean-Laurent Vacheron. Stéphane had this uncanny ability to channel Hyde Vineyard with both precision and grace in every bottling, a true Burgundian style. Today, the tradition continues under Guillaume Boudet, another Frenchman at the helm, and the wines have achieved some of the most soulful expressions of Chardonnay in California.

Sandhi Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay: This wine not only blew my mind but also stunned my entire tasting group. Right before the pandemic, I poured five vintages of Sandhi’s Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay blind alongside a white Burgundy from Meursault, a benchmark producer whose bottle cost five times as much as Sandhi at the time. The results? A clean sweep in favor of Sandhi. Vintage after vintage, California beat Burgundy at its own game.

Stony Hill Chardonnay: There are many classic Napa and Sonoma names when it comes to Chardonnay: Hanzell, Kistler, Montelena, Il Molino, but for me, the most personal is Stony Hill. Stony Hill was Napa’s only white-wine-only estate until 2009, when they finally made a Cabernet (which, for the record, I helped crush at Larkmead). An early winemaker was Ric Forman, who handed the reins to Mike Chelini, the quiet guardian of one of the purest white wine styles in California. Everyone in wine seems to have a Stony Hill story, a hang with the estate’s late winemaker Mike Chelini, or a 30-year-old bottle that somehow still has life in it. If you ever doubt the age-worthiness or dignity of California Chardonnay, find an old Stony Hill and let it set you straight.

Tira Johnson

Beverage director, We All Gotta Eat Group (Sushi Noz, Chez Fifi), NYC
@tira__johnson

Littorai Charles Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay: This is the gold standard of California Chardonnay. Ted and Heidi Lemon are legends of the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley with their Burgundian-style Chardonnays and Pinot Noir. They are so age-worthy! Earlier this year I was at a Littorai seminar and tasted their Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs that go back to the ‘90s. These wines are stunning and people need to cellar these just like Burgundy. The Charles Heintz Vineyard sits around 900 feet from the Pacific Ocean with coastal influence. Soils are sandy loam over marine sandstone, which provides its minerality to balance its lush orchard fruit.

RAEN ‘Lady Marjorie’ Chardonnay: Winemaker Melanie McIntyre is so talented and is making some phenomenal wines for RAEN. Their Pinot Noirs are gorgeous; however, the Chardonnay is spectacular and under the radar. The Lady Marjorie bottling is sourced from small, remote plots across California’s cool Sonoma Coast.

Phelan Farm Pink Chardonnay: This is a really cool wine. It’s made with a pink-skinned mutation of Chardonnay (which was first observed by Stéphane Tissot in the Jura and later by Sylvain Pataille in Burgundy). They were the first ones to do singular bottlings of the phenomenon. Raj Parr received clippings of this from Tissot and brought this to Cambria, Calif., near San Luis Obispo. Nerdy and delicious. I only know of these three producers making this particular wine.

Rombauer Chardonnay: I am not saying this is one of the best Chardonnays in California, but it is a legendary wine that really characterized it as a category. I remember my friends’ moms drinking this when I was growing up in California as a kid. This is one of those California Chardonnays that changed the world’s perception of California Chardonnay.

Jacob Brown

Beverage director, Lazy Bear, San Francisco
@everythingliquid

Kongsgaard The Judge Chardonnay: It’s going to take all of my willpower not to list four different Kongsgaard bottlings. This wine seems to defy gravity every time I taste it. Made using the “death and resurrection” (or “black Chardonnay”) method, it somehow manages to be both massive and restrained at once. It hits the palate like the sound of a gong, deep, resonant, and lingering. Kongsgaard truly ushered in a new era of California Chardonnay, inspiring countless winemakers along the way. The Judge is an extremely low-yielding site, and fermentations on this wine can take upwards of a year to complete.

Mount Eden Chardonnay: I don’t know if I needed an excuse to write about Martin Ray and his importance to California wine. This spot in the Santa Cruz Mountains where the “Mount Eden” clone was developed by Ray who took a field selection from Paul Masson’s winery. These wines are legendary and if you have a chance try to find one with age. I recently had a 1990 out of magnum and it was stunning.

Hanzell Ambassador’s 1953 Vineyard Chardonnay: Like the name implies, these Chardonnay vines were planted in 1953 and are supposedly the oldest Chardonnay plantings in the U.S., planted by Ambassador Zellerbach. Like the rest of the wines on this list, my preference is to have them with age. I think that the best California Chardonnays rarely get aged and especially ones that wine snoots are quick to call “big and buttery.” The top wines of Burgundy are big in their youth as well.

Peay Vineyards ‘Elanus’ Chardonnay: The Peays focused on making wines at the extreme of the Western Sonoma Coast. I am sure they don’t even really want me blowing up their spot about this Barrel Select made by Vanessa Wong. Named for a bird of prey, the Peay Chardonnays encapsulate a time and place for me; every time I take a sip I am transported back up to that vineyard.

Hannah Staab

Managing editor, VinePair
@all_things_food_nyc

Lady of the Sunshine Chene Vineyard Chardonnay: California Chardonnay isn’t all about Napa and Sonoma, and this bottle from the biodynamically farmed Chene Vineyard is proof. The coastal site in Edna Valley gives this Chardonnay an impressive bright citrus note and mineral acidity that — to me — defines the grape.

Sandhi Romance Chardonnay: Sandhi’s entry-level bottlings are impressive on their own, but stepping up to the winery’s “Romance” bottlings proves to be a worthy endeavor. Legendary winemaker Rajat Parr captures electricity in a bottle with this wine, showing off Chardonnay’s inherent texture and tension. A prime example of the wonderfully balanced, cool-climate wines coming out of Santa Barbara’s Santa Rita Hills.

Arnot-Roberts Watson Ranch Chardonnay: The wines from Arnot-Roberts do an extraordinary job of capturing a specific time and place. And for this wine, that’s Napa Valley’s Watson Ranch Vineyard, located on a steep hillside overlooking the San Pablo Bay. The vineyard, which was planted in 1993, was named after attorney Augustus Watson, who owned the property in the early 1900s. The windswept area produces a stunningly crisp, pure expression of Chardonnay that really exposes the grape’s core.

Under the Wire Chuy Vineyard Sparkling Chardonnay: Under the Wire is a sparkling wine project from the team behind Bedrock Wine Co. This special bottling comes from the Chuy Vineyard in Sonoma’s high-elevation Moon Mountain District. This vineyard — farmed by beloved vineyard manager Chuy Ordaz — produced singular expressions of Chardonnay with intense character. The vineyard has since been sold and reworked, so the 2017 vintage of this wine commemorates its legacy.