COLLOCATION: A WORD for the habitual pairing of two words. Like “unmitigated” and “gall” or “oaky” and “Chardonnay.” I even saw the latter phrase turn up as a clue in a crossword puzzle last month.

I got my start in wine with Chardonnay, a million years or so ago in 1997, helping out with the harvest at a winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The winery's Chardonnay was emblematic of the era: ripe ...

Chardonnay. Does the word make you fancy a glass or make you shudder? Now what about chablis? Trick question, of course. Chablis is made from chardonnay grapes grown in the northernmost wine district ...

Last week, I wrote about the most popular wine grape varieties in California. All six wines were affordable (less than $20 a bottle) with some even costing less than $10. This week, we’ll linger a bit ...

French Chardonnay is often lighter and more restrained, with regions like Chablis, Côte de Beaune, and Mâconnais offering distinct expressions tied to terroir. American Chardonnay varies widely by ...