Oak

[cpurvis]

joey, as Foodie mentioned, the real "disaster" is in California, and more specifically in the general public price range wines that you find in the grocery store. I don't question WW's point about higher end Dehlingers or Caymus SS. However, reach for a California "chardonnay" or red wine on a grocery store shelf & you are more likely than not to grasp something more representative of the barrel than the grape. In France, chardonnay has long been a "noble" varietal. In California, the nobility has been kicked out of the chateau & locked in the woodshed.

Unless you particularly enjoy chewing splinters, then don't reach for a Cal. chardonnay unless it is a)labeled "unoaked", or b)reported as unoaked by a reliable source. Several of us make it a point to post notes on any unoaked chards that we find. cp