Panel tasting: affordable California whites 56 wines tasted

Can the Golden State’s white wines provide value, interest and balance at the £30/$30 level? After assessing the reds last month, we turn our focus to mid-priced whites. Susy Atkins poses the questions

California white wine is almost synonymous with Chardonnay. It’s the state’s most widely planted grape variety of all, with nearly 37,800ha in 2017. And anyone who thinks it’s going out of fashion should think again. Chardonnay has been California’s leading grape for the past decade with sales increases every year, according to the California Wine Institute.

It was not always so. Although plantings of the grape date back to the late 19th century, its use was somewhat limited for a long time, mainly due to the perception that Chardonnay gave low yields. During Prohibition, 1920-1933, many Chardonnay vineyards were replaced with varieties that had thicker skins, such as Zinfandel, which were seen as hardier.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that Chardonnay’s popularity started to rise significantly (see box, below). Today, Monterey AVA has the most plantings, at about 6,880ha, many vast vineyards there filling the valley floor. Sonoma is second with 6,313ha, and the hotter San Joaquin region to the east of San Francisco is third with a little more than 5,260ha.

The idea that less expensive California Chardonnay is uniform in style – sweetish, over-oaky and strong – is misguided. Chardonnay can be chameleon-like here as elsewhere, and styles are diverse, from ripe and juicy, tropical-fruited versions to crisper, zestier ones often hailing from cooler spots and, of course, a proportion that have a vanilla and butterscotch, sometimes toasty oak character.

Our tasting was an opportunity to see which of these stylistic interpretations performed best – and from which AVAs (see box).

The late 20th century saw many plantings of Chardonnay in cooler regions with coastal influence or higher altitudes. Did the wines from these vineyards make it into our best buys under £30/$30, though, or are they more premium whites commanding higher price tags? Does the use of expensive oak barrels mean few wines in this style make it into our best buys?

That said, California Chardonnay grapes are relatively cheap at an average of $924 per tonne, compared to Pinot Noir at $1,688 and Cabernet Sauvignon at $1,553, so perhaps it ought to be easier to make good examples at an affordable price.

Beyond Chardonnay

While Chardonnay dominated, there were several Sauvignon Blancs – but can California ever compete with Chile for value for money with this variety, and in what style? (Is fumé passé?)

Riesling is a grape now more associated with Washington State and the Finger Lakes in New York State, but back in the 1960s it was one of the top grapes in California. It fell out of favour in the 1980s, seen as unfashionable and often too sweet, but there’s some indication of a revival of interest of late. Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Albariño and even Grüner Veltliner were all represented in the tasting too.

Can any grape begin to rival Chardonnay as the queen of California whites under £30/$30? Let’s find out.