The 2024s are now shipping!

Fine American Chardonnay from California. It's all we do. No oak or with oak, we give you the choice. Like the finest winemakers in France, we grow all the grapes we use and control every step from pruning to bottling. No need to compromise on quality or worry about tariffs! The result is wonderful Chardonnay that consistently wins Gold medals, year after year, in international and domestic competitions.

Even better, JL WOOD Chardonnay is affordably priced. By selling direct to consumers, we don't have to pay the fees required by distributors giving you higher quality than competitively priced wine in stores.

We have just released our 2024 wines, a No Oak and Premier (lightly oaked). Both are shipping. These wines are very drinkable now. We think they are just as good as our 2023 vintage and true to the JL WOOD style. The No Oak was just awarded a Gold at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

We have made a recent change to the design of our packaging. Because of customer feedback and insistence, both of the 2024 wines use "screw-cap" closures.

Our handcrafted wines are minimally processed. We do not add concentrates, coloring agents, or sugars to our wines. In addition, we minimize our use of sulfites. We have Serving Fact disclosures for each of our wines incorporated into our Product Information section, available by going to our Shop section and selecting an individual wine. You'll notice that our wines are less than 3 grams of carbs for a standard pouring of 5 oz.

It is important for you to know that we do not use glyphosate in our vineyards and haven't for years!

And, unlike some large wineries, we don't secretly dilute our American made wine with imports from other countries.

What Others Say

Highly followed Ari Bendersky from the Something Glorious blog, writing about the 2025 No Oak: "If you’re not into oaky chard, you’re gonna love this one . . . JL Wood focuses solely on producing chardonnay and they do it well. This one, with a sly fox on its label and conjuring Chablis-style, is super bright and gives lemon, lime zest, and a bit of pink grapefruit along with peach, guava and ginger. It would be great with chilled raw seafood, sushi, lemony pasta — even spicy Thai dishes. "

The highly regarded Kathleen Willcox just posted on Instagram: "JL Wood No Oak 2024: Bright as sunlight, fresh, but with a long finish. No malo obvi. Perfect for pairing with wasabi doused sushi, all the Asian noodles, charcuterie. It’s a laser. JL Wood Premier 2024: Lightly oaked, opulent, with a run through orchards, a tropical grove, balanced with lovely brightness. Fantastic with roasted chicken, or a big-fatty tuna steak. P.S. Which would you prefer? And how cute are these labels?"

In his well read blog on Substack, WineLine, Dave McIntyre writes: "These wines don’t come with the pretension of a garagiste or young-buck winemaker determined to show people how it’s done. They also don’t come with exorbitant price tags. Just the quality that comes from careful farming and control over the winemaking."

See our page Media Mentions Joel Stein, the fun and insightful commentator at The Corrupt Wine Writer on Substack, wrote this about JL Wood: "When I poured a JL Wood 'Classic' Chardonnay against this Burgundy [Chablis] last night at a dinner party ... Cassandra preferred the JL Wood. It was brighter, funner. Less austere. But still clean. Things I used to be."

Our Chief Winemaker, Ed Filice, was just featured in The Wine Write by Randy Smith. "Customers with a need for Chardonnay can buy well made wines with real intent behind them without emptying their pocketbooks. And that matters, especially these days."

Recognition of our Quality

Our 2023 Classic Chardonnay recently earned a Gold and 93 points at the 2025 Monterey International Wine Competition and a Gold and 92 points at the prestigious 2025 Sunset International Competition. Our 2023 Premier was awarded a Gold and 96 points at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition and snagged 91 points at the 2025 Decanter competition in London, UK, the largest in the world. We were among the top five Chardonnays submitted from California! Subsequently, Decanter's online edition rated the 2023 premier at 92 points and the 2023 Classic at 93 points.

About Us

My family has lived on and worked the same land in Monterey County, California, for almost 120 years. It's a very special place. The combination of climate and soils consistently create the right conditions for wonderful Chardonnay. When my husband and I took over, the vision was to work this land, using sustainable methods, for another 100.

Visit our Shop page for the complete range of current offerings.

Chardonnay 2.0

For a fun and tasty twist on Chardonnay, visit Isabella.Gold where you will find a unique Sweet Chardonnay with only 11.1% alc/vol.! Isabella Gold is also the star of a recently released romance fantasy novel, "The Evil in the Shadows and the Rebirth of Isabella Gold", available on all popular ebook stores.

Isabella Gold is made from the same great grapes as JL WOOD. Perfect by herself, on ice as a sangria, and in wine cocktails. Try our original "Frozennay" cocktail recipes for luscious relief during the heat of Summer or for a winter indoor "beach party".

SPECIAL DEALS: >>Click here for Great Deals<<

Please, ALWAYS drink responsibly.

Carol Wood Morrison, Proprietor.