Plush, with loads of richness to the well-honed flavors of beeswax, baked pear and lemon tart. Minerally midpalate, presenting a fresh and zesty finish that finishes with pastry notes.

Plush, with loads of richness to the well-honed flavors of beeswax, baked pear and lemon tart. Minerally midpalate, presenting a fresh and zesty finish that finishes with pastry notes.

A staple of California winemaking, this vintage is as good as ever—perfectly polished, with light aromas of toasted oak and crisp green apple, lemon-lime and tempting butter flavors, and a medium-bodied frame. The texture is silky smooth, and everything tastes harmonious and balanced.

Chardonnays to suit all palates and pocketbooks For those who prefer the tropical fruit Chards, my best value is the very consistent Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve. KJ has been a consistent winner in the under $14 Chard category as long as I can remember. The 2015 has a lovely honey, vanilla nose that evolves to pineapple, mango, and papaya with citrus accents bursting on your palate like an extra-ripe grape. A hint of toasted oak reverberates through the long finish, 91 points.

Deeply spiced and buttery, with concentrated flavors of pear tart, apple pastry and ripe melon that glide across the palate. Ginger and toasty notes show on the rich, creamy finish.

Weekend Wine Picks Unabashedly Californian Chardonnay from a hillside that sits above the Santa Maria Bench in Santa Barbara. The Chardonnay blocks known as the Camelot Highlands is what winemaker Randy Ullom calls the filet mignon section. The vines, planted to their own roots and over 40 years old, are deeply set in an ancient seabed. Tropical fruits mark the nose with scents of pineapple, mango and papaya, previewing a creamy rich mid-palate laced with butter, mineral, cinnamon, vanilla, orange and crème brûlée. Another crowd pleaser. Private wine shops only.

Kendall-Jackson's 2014 Chardonnay Stature is powerful and also quite voluptuous. Like all of these 2014s, the Stature is intensely tropical, buttery and forward. Drink it over the next handful of years.

The most expensive Chardonnay is the 2014 Stature, which comes entirely from Santa Barbara. It is 100% barrel-fermented, with the lees stirred twice a month, and spends 12 months in oak prior to being bottled. This is a California dead-ringer for a full-bodied, ripe Bâtard-Montrachet from France. Notes of honeysuckle, unbuttered popcorn, crushed rock, and white peach and pear are all present in this full-bodied, wonderfully layered and rich Chardonnay. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.

The 2014 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Appellation Series from Santa Maria is another fairly priced Chardonnay, as winemaker Randy Ullom has the Midas touch when it comes to this varietal. One hundred percent Chardonnay, 100% barrel-fermented, 50% of it spending time on its lees, this wine from the cool Santa Maria Valley offers up plenty of wet gravel, unbuttered popcorn, tangerine and nectarine notes along with some pineapple and lychee. There’s also a touch of wood smoke to it. It is a fruit-driven, exuberant style of Chardonnay and fairly priced. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.

There’s no denying deliciousness, even when a wine is on the simple side, and in some ways, purity of fruit and clarity of style actually accentuates deliciousness. Medium-bodied, with fresh fruit recalling golden apples with a little citrus around the edges, this is generous enough to prove satisfying while also offering a lot of refreshment value. A little unresolved carbon dioxide provides a bit of added lift, making this a great choice for a warm summer evening.

Kendall-Jackson's 2013 Chardonnay Stature emerges from vineyards in Santa Maria and Los Alamos. Lemon pit, almonds, smoke, white flowers and French oak are all layered together in an impeccable, harmonious Chardonnay. The viscous, resonant finish is hugely appealing.

Smooth, ripe nose; ripe pear fruit, vanilla, butterscotch and toasty oak - all in balance; rounded, rich and long; classic.

This is a tasty and accessibly priced Chardonnay. It packs in lots of fruit flavor, vibrant acidity, rich texture and layers of oaky spice while showing a rare sense of seamlessness. Very Californian and compelling.

Offers lots of subtlety and polish, from the light, vanilla-accented toasty oak notes to the rich, creamy fig, honeydew, white peach and apricot flavors. Intense and elegant. Drink now.

Bright gold. Heady citrus fruit and melon aromas are complemented by gingery spice and leesy notes that gain power with air. Fleshy and deeply pitched, offering intense orange, peach and honeydew flavors given spine by juicy acidity. Bracingly bitter on the persistent finish, with resonating notes of melon and ginger.

The 2012 Chardonnay Grand Reserve (200,000 cases produced) is composed of Monterey and Santa Barbara fruit that spent nine months in largely French oak as well as smaller quantities of American wood. One-third is new, and this cuvee is put through full malolactic fermentation as opposed to the other Chardonnays where it is generally partially or completely blocked. Copious quantities of tropical fruits, pineapples, mangoes, apricot marmalade and honeyed citrus are found in this clean white that finishes with good acidity and a distant minerality. It was the only Chardonnay in this tasting that revealed a touch of oak. Consume it over the next 2-3 years.

Lemon butter, apple pie crust and hazelnut are first to the aroma party on this carefully crafted Jackson family offering from a vineyard about 400 feet up in limestone-dotted soils. On the palate, strong but integrated acidity carries the myriad citrus, apple and spice flavors to completion.

Extremely concentrated and full-bodied Californian Chardonnay: toasted almond and butterscotch from generous oak aging. Aromas and flavours of pear, peach and apple.

An extreme California chard with dark color, rich texture and creamy, sweet flavors; rich oak and ripe fruit; concentrated and loaded.

Readers looking for more caramelized tropical fruit and honeysuckle characteristics as well as more opulence and flesh should check out the 2009 Grand Reserve Chardonnay (a blend of equal parts Santa Barbara and Monterey fruit). This 100% Chardonnay was aged 9 months in primarily French oak, and was put through 100% barrel and malolactic fermentation with lots of lees stirring. Kendall-Jackson's Chardonnay program has always been a reference point for how to get the most out of this grape and this cuvee highlights the buttery melon, tropical fruit and peach-like characteristics of Chardonnay. It also possesses medium to full body, well-integrated wood and a long, heady, rich finish. Kendall-Jackson enjoys a well-deserved reputation for over-delivering quality vis à vis price for its wines.

Classic! Toasty oak, green apple and white peach. Richly layered and full-bodied but not heavy. Top rated White Wine.

Winemaker Randy Ullom hits all the right notes with this delicious floral, spicy, green apple, peachy melon nose flecked with guava, vanilla, light lychee, lime and a dusting of nutty lees. The palate is fresh and crisp with elegant styling, juicy acidity and rich minerality. Baked green apple, floral, spicy, mango, pineapple, honey, buttery, vanilla, nutty, lime and melon flavours. Good complexity and balance in a brighter style than in the past. Drink now or over the next few years. This wine really deserves a better name than 'Grand Reserve.'

A new price point tier for K-J, in between Grand Reserve and Highland Estates. Bright and racy in cool-climate acidity, with layered flavors of lemondrop candy, lemon chiffon pie and buttered toast. Delicious and savory. The grapes are from the Santa Maria Valley and the Los Alamos region.