Recommendations for a Homemade White Wine

Hello all, I apologize in advance for all my novice questions as I am very new to wine making. Anyway, here it goes...

Some family recently moved to California and are now sitting on a couple of acres. They are extremely interested in the thought of starting a very small vineyard to produce some wine. They are interested in making a sweet white wine that can cellar for quite some time. Immediately the idea to fortify it popped into their heads. Would this be a wise idea for what they would like? Also, they would like to oak it, but are afraid that if the wine is barreled, it would cause too much oxidation for the wine to store well. Instead of oaking in a barrel, would it be better to add oak chips into the carboy while fermenting? This would keep oxidation lower, but it also lowers the amount of oxidation-helping phenols the oak can add to the wine. Lastly, what type of grape should be used to create this? I've heard certain grapes last longer while other deteriorate quickly, but I am just lost with all the different varieties. Thank you guys for your much needed help!

you have quite a few questions whose answers will only drive others. I would suggest visiting some of the small wineries in CA and ask the winery for their thoughts. Get some experience first before venturing out.
Buy some Chardonnay juice or Riesling juice , learn how to ferment, oak in barrel or use chips. proper sanitation and handling will reduce oxidation. Research how to make port which is a fortified wine. makes some small batches.

Fortifying a wine is a fantastic idea to increase shelf life; more alcohol and it will last longer, be it red or white, and you can control sweetness that way. However, it may take some patience to create a wine that is balanced nicely.

From what I know, I don't believe there are enough tannins contributed from oaking to increase (noticeably, at least) antioxitive power; flavor will be the biggest component. The biggest factor in ageability will be balancing variety, acid, sweetness, and alcohol so that it will be appealing after aging. High everything will contribute to a generally longer-lasting wine.

I would not worry about the amount of oxygen contributed by barreling; you can control the process and remove the wine from the barrel at any time. The biggest difference you will see between barrel and carboy oak additions will be stylistic: barreling does indeed add more oxygen, so the wine will be darker and aging will be slightly accelerated.
I agree with Salcoco's advice to try all of these methods in bench trials to determine what results your family will like best.

Thanks for your advice/help guys! I will definitely try to visit a local winery for some info about those questions.