Greg La Follette Is Resurrecting California’s Forgotten French Colombard
⏱ 1 min read The Short Version Before Chardonnay’s dominance, French Colombard was California's most planted white grape—now, Greg La Follette is resurrecting this forgotten powerhouse. By leveraging North America’s oldest vines, his brand Marchelle is proving that heritage beats hype in the modern market. In This Article A legacy in the vinesCommunity and education This is worth savoring: while Chardonnay has spent decades dominating California landscapes, it effectively pushed another powerhouse into the shadows. Before the 1990s, French Colombard was the state’s most widely planted white grape, prized for its crisp acidity but now largely relegated to distillation or…