Our take
Butter Light Chardonnay California White Wine
- Style
- White wine
- Size
- 750 ml
- Grape
- Chardonnay
- Region
- California
- Shelf barcode
- 0853706002713
Our take
What we make of this bottle
The number comes first here. In our September 2026 checks the lowest we saw was $14.99. The name traces back to people: JaM Cellars says it stands for its founders, John and Michele Truchard, second-generation Napa Valley vintners.
The grape is Chardonnay, a white one behind both still bottles and sparkling. Official category guides place citrus and apple among the cooler examples and stone or tropical fruit among the riper ones, and they add that oak and time on the spent yeast can bring toast, spice and a rounder feel when the winery leans that way. What the word "Light" in the name promises about this one is not something we can confirm. We do not have a shopper rating for this bottle.
Across eight stores in those same September 2026 checks the highest we saw was $25.99.
JaM Cellars' own product page fills in what “Light” means here: this Chardonnay carries 8.5 percent alcohol, which the producer states is 40 percent less than its regular Butter Chardonnay, along with roughly a third fewer calories, 85 in a 5-ounce serving. The producer describes the wine as “bright and creamy,” with “flavors of tangy lemon mousse with buttery, vanilla shortbread crumbles.” It has also picked up recognition beyond the producer's own claims: Tasting Panel Magazine named it the #1 Best Tasting Light Wine in its April 2025 issue and scored it 91 points, and the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition awarded it Best of Class in January 2026.
Our call: a strong pick if a lower-alcohol Chardonnay with real outside recognition is what you want; this bottle carries 8.5 percent alcohol against a regular Chardonnay's usual strength, and it has picked up a San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Best of Class award and a top ranking from Tasting Panel Magazine. Pass if a shopper rating history matters to you or you want a full-strength Chardonnay; no rating has reached our record, and this bottle is built specifically to be lighter than the standard style.
The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Sep 16, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.
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Read our take →The prices we checked
Dated store checks, not a promise about your store.
- Kroger, Atlanta suburbs, GA$20.99
- Kroger, Cincinnati, OH$17.99
- Ralphs, Long Beach, CA$21.99
- Fred Meyer, Portland, OR$25.99
- Smith's, Las Vegas, NV$22.99
- Kroger, Knoxville, TN$17.99
- Kroger, Richmond, VA$19.99
- Fry's, Tucson, AZ$14.99
The regular price can vary by store and date.
From the producer
From the founders
JaM Cellars says its name comes from founders John and Michele Truchard, who are second-generation Napa Valley vintners.
Research status
What we are still checking
Our overview above draws on the dated store feed, shopper ratings, our region and grape research, and any sourced producer facts. We are still working to confirm the current release, the full producer record, and the bottle itself, and we update this page as we learn more.
Getting to know California.
California on the label is useful provenance but weak detail about place. For these wines, sourcing disclosure, blend construction and house-style consistency carry more decision value than a generic climate paragraph.
What the name means
A state-level appellation, broader than an individual American Viticultural Area. It permits a multi-region blend and does not by itself identify one climate or soil.
How grapes grow here
The state spans cool maritime zones and hot inland valleys. A California designation alone does not reveal which conditions shaped the fruit.
What lies under the vines
At state scale, sourcing and house-style construction matter more than any single soil story.
How large the region is
- Reusable question
- Which counties or AVAs supplied the blend, and did that mix change by release?
Places within the region
- Resolution limit
- County, AVA and vineyard claims begin only when the release names them.
Getting to know Chardonnay.
Chardonnay is a white grape used for still and sparkling wine. It can be made without oak for a lighter shape or fermented and aged in oak for more weight.
Category guide
What to expect in the glass
Official category guides place citrus and apple at the cooler end and stone fruit or tropical fruit in riper examples. Oak and time on the spent yeast can add toast, spice and a rounder texture, but those features are winemaking choices rather than a guarantee.
Sources: New Zealand Winegrowers; Napa Valley Vintners. Checked Aug 10, 2026. See all 116 Chardonnay wines we cover →
Where this information comes from
- Store listing
- Price, package, product identifier. Checked Aug 10, 2026.
- Barcode
- The shelf barcode shown here is computed from the store product identifier. It has not been checked against a bottle.
- Method
- Every price, rating and fact here is a dated observation. How we check.