Winery History

This year at Chandon California, as we celebrate our 45th Anniversary, we are humbly thrilled to be reminded that so much of what our founders dreamed to achieve has come to fruition. In 1973, ‘M & H Winery,’ that will be renamed to Chandon, became the first French-owned sparkling winery in California.

In true pioneering spirit, our founders set out to combine French winemaking techniques, American entrepreneurship and knowledge with the beautiful sun-ripened fruit of the Golden State to create California Sparkling Wine that showcases the brightness of California terroir and the vibrancy of California grapes.

Chandon has been a champion of bubbles for a long time now, sticking to tradition in terms of winemaking techniques and standards, but also innovating with wines like Sweet Star and Sparkling Red. From welcoming guests at the Visitor Center, to the opening of Michelin-star restaurant étoile formerly at the winery, and through our new Edutainment series, we have been motivated and inspired to show how Chandon pairs with everyday occasions and many different types of cuisine, encouraging people to enjoy a glass (or two!) with their favorite food.

We say cheers to that! We aren’t done yet. With a lot of exciting things to come, we are feeling very bubbly about the future.