The 2008 Chardonnay Jackson Hills from Santa Barbara exhibits the classic pineapple, smoky hazelnut, mango, and orange marmalade fruit notes in a full-bodied, exuberant, flamboyant style.

Lovely and rich with butter-oak richness. White peach, lime and green apple. Full-bodied.

The 2008 Highland Estates Chardonnay Camelot Vineyard is a creamy, full-bodied wine with lots of tropical fruit flavors, from pineapple to mango. Some buttered brioche/shortbread notes as well as creme brulee also make and appearance in this full-bodied, heady wine, which can be drunk over the next 3-4 years.

Monterey's cool-climate flavors of lemons and limes marry richer, more tropical Santa Barbara notes in this creamy smooth Chardonnay. Oak plays a prominent role, lending an edge of vanilla and buttered toast. This is a very good price for the quality.

This is a great expression of what winemaker Randy Ullom calls the Santa Maria Bench. Full malolactic fermentation has softened the wine, while barrel fermentation adds to the honeyed, creamy texture. Yet there's enough acidity to balance the lush tropical fruit-pie filling, kumquat, pineapple, apricot, vanilla custard and buttered toast richness.

It is a serious, unmistakably California Chardonnay exhibiting loads of honeyed tropical fruit, medium to full body, and admirable freshness as well as texture. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

Signature K-J chardonnay with maximum treble and base. The tri-county blend represents only three percent of all K-J chardonnay. The nose is a mix of honey, orange, floral, mango notes mix with green apple skin and melon aromas. Round, elegant, supple style with plenty of texture.

Here's a Chard with great interest and distinction. Strikes the mouth with a mineral and steel firmness that's sleek and streamlined, but then a rich tone of sweet tropical fruits, vanilla and buttered toast bursts on the palate. The pineapple and mango is very intense, and coats the tongue through a long finish. Nervy, balanced and quite delicious.

A blend of Santa Barbara, Monterey and Sonoma in true K-J style, and very good in a generic sort of way. What it lacks in terroir it makes up for in flamboyantly ripe fruit. Impresses for its lush, creamy texture, layers of smoky oak and long spicy finish.

On the surface, this appears to be a simple strawberry red with tarry notes to the tannins. As it opens, it reveals more depth, offering lovely tannins with mineral precision to fill out the satin texture of the wine. Harmonious, sleek and spicy, this is a wine to decant for Provençal roast lamb.

This is a meaty merlot with dark, smoky oak tannins structuring the silky black-plum flavors. It’s a compelling contrast of firm and rich, suited to a year or two in the cellar, or a thick-cut sirloin steak.

This midnight purple colored Cabernet Sauvignon from down under opens with a black cherry bouquet with hints of cola, leather and oak. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced, smooth and savory. The flavor profile is a smoky oak influenced black currant with notes of coffee. We also detected hints of blueberry and black olive. The finish is dry and its flavors and moderate tannins show nice length. The Panel thought this Cab would pair well with a New York strip steak.

This robust red manages to find elegance amidst power. The nose starts out quiet, needing some swirling to open up and show plush blue and red fruit, floral notes and baking spice. The juicy palate is sandy-textured from superfine tannins, yet there’s enough heft and structure to take this well into the future, from 2028 and beyond.

Weekend Picks Australian Charlie Seppelt and American Chris Carpenter have combined their winemaking talents at Hickinbotham to produce what they term is the pinnacle of Clarendon Cabernet. The wine is shaped by its tannins which are rich and dense, framing the wine’s structure from front to back. Expect rich and pure black fruit with a whiff of green pepper, menthol and dark chocolate. First planted in 1971 by Alan Hickinbotham, the vineyard remains well cared for today under the Jackson Family Farms banner.

Australian Charlie Seppelt and American Chris Carpenter have combined their winemaking talents at Hickinbotham to produce what they term is the pinnacle of Clarendon cabernet. The wine is shaped by its tannins which are rich and dense, framing the wine’s structure from front to back. Expect rich and pure black fruit with a whiff of green pepper, menthol and dark chocolate. The fruit is hand-picked from Clarendon high country at 220 metres where it enjoys warm mornings and cool nights, lending ripeness yet holding bright acidity. At 14.5 percent the alcohol is up a full point over last year but to little overall effect. First planted in 1971 by Alan Hickinbotham it remains in good hands today under the Jackson Family Farms banner.

Graceful and perfumed, with notes of candied violet and gingerbread adding richness to the plum, cassis, fudge and black walnut liqueur flavors. Features dense, polished tannins and a long, lingering finish. Drink now through 2026. 238 cases made.

Smooth and spicy with dense, earthy with a not unpleasant hint of herbs; lush, rich and long with balance and style.

Shows an incredible array of spice notes layered over cola and black cherry flavors. Cinnamon, mint, and anise highlight the aromas and finish. Like all of the Hartford offerings, the mouthfeel is smooth and expansive.

Deep, dark ruby purple color; slightly closed cassis, blackberry notes on nose; big and tannic, there is ample blackberry and cassis fruit underneath, great structure and a finish that goes on and on. This Pinot is huge and tannic, but there's no doubt that this is a Pinot of character, I think the fruit is there to reward some patience in the cellar.

Actually, the vineyard is in the Green-Valley sub-AVA, but the wine is more marketable with the RRV appellation on the label. Despite 75% new oak, the smoke and the toast notes are accents rather than dominant, elegantly framing the plump black cherry fruit. Some wood tannins mark the finish, but they should rapidly resolve. Drink 2003-2007.

Good full red. Perfumed aromas of fresh red cherry, raspberry, lead pencil, tar and herbs. Large-scaled, plump and rich, with complex red fruit, earth and herbal flavors lifted by wild spices. Nicely restrained sweetness. An impressively dense, nuanced pinot noir that finishes with very fine tannins.

Buttery and Spicy, with cinnamon and nutmeg dusted over baked apples. A full, verging on fat, mouthfeel is balanced by long, acidic finish that leaves your tongue tingling.

There are 811 cases of the 2000 Chardonnay Stone Cote, a provocative effort remniscent of a Chevalier-Montrachet in its greenish light straw color, gorgeous perfume of honeyed citrus, nectarines, white peaches, and steely, liquid minerality. Full bodied, tightly knit and super-endowed, it is a brilliant white that should evolve for 5-7 years.

A mineral tone runs through it, focusing the wine's citrus flavors on a bitter orange note, lengthening the more austere structural elements of the finish over a buttery warmth. Match its coastal minerality with grilled fish.

Deep cherry red. Moderately full-bodied. Highly extracted. Moderately oaked and tannic. Chocolate, toast, ripe blackberry. Deep dark brooding nose leads a seamless and rich palate with some attractive toasted oak flavors through the finish. Overall a firmly structured style.