French Colombard is a French white grape, one parent Chenin, that became one of California's most heavily planted whites of the mid-20th century for its high yields and reliable acidity. The state's numbers show that legacy diminished but still large: bearing acreage has fallen from 42,058 acres in 2000 to 14,767 acres in the latest report, spread across 23 counties, a substantial commercial footprint even after a two-thirds decline. It remains a high-volume grape for inexpensive white and blending wine rather than a varietal bottling on its own.
What kind of grape this is
- Registry name
- COLOMBARD
- Species
- VITIS VINIFERA LINNÉ SUBSP. SATIVA (DE CANDOLLE) HEGI
- Berry color
- BLANC
- Country of origin
- FRANCE
- Parentage
- HEUNISCH WEISS×CHENIN
- Synonyms
- 28
- Approved on a US label
- Colombard (French Colombard)
- FPS selections
- 5
CDFA prints it as French Colombard
confirmed by DNA markers
names this grape is known by elsewhere, per VIVC
the names TTB permits on a bottle
distinct clones and selections held at UC Davis
Registries
What is published
Counts describe what this atlas holds for French Colombard, not what California grows. A zero is a published answer: it means the source names the grape and reports nothing under it, or does not name it at all.
- 421
county-years of acreage
23 counties, 14,767 bearing acres in 2025
- 258
district-years of crush
16 of 17 crush districts, 26 crop years
- 258
district-years of Brix
tonnage-weighted at the crusher, Crush Report Table 3
- 0
producers in this atlas
producers whose curated wine list names it — a curated roster of 2,772 producers, not a census of California
- —
regions with a maturity date
not one of the eight cultivars with a
Acreage in California
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Counties and concentration
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Where it is planted
Reported by county — never by AVA
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Share of each county's vineyard
Reported by county — never by AVA
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The counties
Reported by county — never by AVA
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Tonnage and price by district
Reported by crush district — never by county or AVA
All 16 districts on one axis →
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Brix at the crusher
Reported by crush district — never by county or AVA
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