To honor National Chardonnay Day we asked our winemaker Michael Carr to tell us some fun facts about our favorite white wine at Roche: Chardonnay.  Here is what he quickly came up with…Happy National Chardonnay Day!

Five Fun Facts About ROCHE Chardonnay:

• The first vineyard planted by the Roche Family in 1982 was a Chardonnay vineyard.
• Roche Winery makes six different types of Chardonnay from one vineyard: Blanc de Blanc Brut Sparkling, Unoaked Chardonnay, Carneros Chardonnay, French Oak Reserve Chardonnay, American Oak Reserve Chardonnay, and Late Harvest Chardonnay.
• Roche Winery uses 3 clones of chardonnay: (Wenti, Clone 4, & Rued).
• Our 2013 French Oak Chardonnay was the first white wine Ever to win “Best of the Best” in the North Coast Wine Challenge history…the first white wine to end red wine’s dominance as “Best of the Best.”
• The reason why Michael makes such great Chardonnays? His wife only drinks Chardonnay!

Five Fun Facts about Chardonnay:

• The Chardonnay varietal originated in Burgundy, France.
• In 1941 there were 100 acres planted of Chardonnay in California. Today there is over 16,000 acres of Chardonnay vineyards in Sonoma County alone.
• Chardonnay remains the most well-known and bestselling white wine in the nation. Approximately 840,000 bottles a year are consumed in the U.S.
• In the 1930’s-1950’s chardonnay was commonly labeled as “Pinot Chardonnay.”
• Beginning in 2002, the name Chardonnay became fashionable in the United Kingdom due to the character Chardonnay Lane-Pascoe in the television series 'Footballers' Wives'.