Founded in 1883, Wente is California’s oldest operating family owned vineyard with estates in Livemore Valley, Arroyo Seco and Monterey. Ernest Wente is credited for importing Chardonnay cuttings from France to California in 1912 and were the first to produce a varietally labelled Chardonnay in 1936. The family is recognized as California’s first family of Chardonnay and 75% of Californian Chardonnay today stem from the Wente clone. They have been practicing sustainability in the vineyards and winery and received their certification in 2010 and were also awarded ‘American Winery of the Year’ by Wine Enthusiast 2011, one of numerous national and international awards.