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A single sip of Wente Morning Fog Central Coast Chardonnay 2023 tells a bigger story—one about a 140-year family legacy, a game-changing clone, and the craft behind a clean, vanilla-tinged style that wins without the heavy butter. We open the bottle and trace Wente’s roots in Livermore, where the family helped shape modern Chardonnay by selecting and improving clones that now appear in roughly three-quarters of U.S. plantings. That history isn’t trivia; it directly affects how today’s wine tastes: brighter fruit, better balance, and reliable quality year after year.

We get granular about technique in a way that’s friendly and useful. Why split fermentation between neutral American oak and stainless steel? Neutral oak lets in a whisper of oxygen to round the texture, while stainless preserves crisp green-apple notes and freshness. Then there’s lees aging and bâtonnage—stirring the lees to add creaminess without piling on heavy oak flavor. The result is a Chardonnay that leans vanilla over butter, with a lively mid-palate and a clean finish that plays well with salads, white fish, and simple white pasta. If you’ve written off Chardonnay as too oaky, this bottle is a welcome reset.

We also talk value and consistency. Morning Fog keeps delivering at a price that makes it a weeknight staple and a party-safe pick, with scores around 90 points backing up its reputation. Expect green apple, gentle vanilla, and a calm, polished texture that suits a wide range of palates. If you’re building a small wine lineup at home, this is the versatile slot—easy to serve, easy to love, and easy on the wallet.

If our breakdown helped you find your next fridge-door white, follow the show, share this episode with a Chardonnay skeptic, and leave a quick review so more wine fans can discover smart, affordable bottles. Cheers to keeping it tasty—and keeping it cheap.

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