Pale gold. Ripe orange, melon and nectarine on the fragrant nose. Fleshy and supple in texture, offering vibrant honeydew and pit fruit flavors lifted by a nervier touch of citrus pith. A floral note comes up with air and carries through a long, seamless finish. Shows surprising restraint for a New World viognier; this will be extremely flexible at the table.

Bright yellow. Textbook viognier aromas of peach, pear, anise and pungent flowers. Graceful and precise in the mouth, offering juicy pit and orchard fruit flavors and a lively touch of bitter lemon zest. This delicious wine is very fragrant and shows no excess fat.

Light, bright yellow. Sexy, highly perfumed nose displays textbook varietal aromas of peach, pear, flowers and orange peel. Round and fleshy on entry, then tightens up in the middle palate to offer tangy orange and green apple flavors. The finish leaves sappy pear and sweet citrus notes behind. I find this very pretty.

A pioneer with high quality Viognier, Arrowood's 2008 Viognier Saralee's Vineyard continues his mastery of this difficult varietal. It is easy to make a competent wine from this varietal, but it is very hard to produce a top-flight example. Arrowood is able to keep the acidity and minerality in the background, while not sacrificing the exotic tropical fruit and lychee nut characteristics of Viognier. This rich, medium to full-bodied 2008 should be drunk over the next 2-3 years. This is another impressive group of wines from one of the most consistent winemakers and long-time veterans of the California wine scene, Dick Arrowood. He has always had the Midas touch with white varietals, yet he also continues to impress me with what he can do with red varietals. Moreover, Arrowood is also one of the pioneer Rhone Ranger producers, and his Syrah program has been supplemented with red and white French Cotes du Rhone-like blends called Cote de Lune as well as an outstanding Viognier.

The 2006 Viognier Saralee’s Vineyard is 100% barrel-fermented and 100% malolactic-fermented, yet always seems to retain crisp acidity. It has the exotic lychee and tropical fruit notes of Viognier, but more minerality and definition than most wines made from this varietal tend to possess in California. The wine has good fruit and should drink nicely for another 1-2 years.

2005 ARROWOOD VIOGNIER SARALEE'S VINEYARD The 2005 Viognier Saralee's Vineyard exhibits a big, open-knit, rose petal, litchi, and apricot-scented nose, delicious fruit, good freshness, and a full-bodied palate.

26.5% residual sugar. Impressive in its enormous concentration, this wine drifts a bit into a dried grape character with touches of brown sugar invading the peach and flower Riesling notes. The wine, as expected, is incredibly viscous and luscious, and even if it is not as bright and energetic in its acidity as others, it is still an amazingly deep wine whose role with or as dessert is unquestioned.

Bright gold. Ripe apricot, peach nectar and floral honey aromas are brightened by zesty minerals. Round and juicy, with sweet pit fruit and melon flavors, creamy texture and building spiciness. Impressively juicy for a wine with such depth and sweetness, finishing sappy and long, with very good clarity.

Saturated ruby. Pungent aromas of redcurrant and cherry, with a floral topnote and a hint of cracked pepper. Lively, nicely focused malbec with appealing sweetness to its red fruit and floral pastille flavors. Fine-grained tannins come on late, adding shape and grip to the long, subtly sweet finish. I suspect that this wine will drink well on the young side.

Inky ruby. Ripe but subdued aromas of blackberry, cassis, olive and licorice, with complicating suggestions of dark chocolate and herbs; this smells a lot like syrah. Spicy and tightly wound on entry, then ripe and smooth in the middle, with subtle sweetness to its deep dark fruit flavors. Supple tannins dust the fruit-driven, spicy finish. This is pretty impressive version of the variety, even in the context of the best Argentine renditions.

Coming all from the Ramal West Vineyard in Carneros and barrel fermented, the 2016 Chardonnay Carneros has a spicy, toasty bouquet of pear and orchard fruits, with a touch of buttered citrus developing with time in the glass. It’s medium-bodied, layered, forward and already delicious, and while it’s not complex or long, it’s balanced and certainly offers loads of pleasure.

A new entry in the Arrowood range, the 2015 Chardonnay Carneros is a very pretty wine to drink now and over the next few years. Dried apricot, butter lemon peel and hazelnut are pushed forward in an attractive wine that expresses the personality of Carneros nicely.

The more complex 2012 Chardonnay Reserve Speciale is 100% barrel-fermented with 100% malolactic fermentation and was aged for nine months in new and neutral French oak. This shows more honeyed white peach notes, a bigger, richer framework, medium to full body, and hints of honeysuckle and subtle, restrained oak. Again, the purity, texture and overall craftsmanship are impressive. Drink over the next 7-8 years.

A rich and full-bodied Californian chardonnay with lovely layers of ripe peaches and pears, some lemon and lots of vanilla-butter goodness with the oak. This terrific white wine has a satisfyingly long finish and will pair well with roast chicken. The grapes for this Chardonnay come from cool climate vineyards in Sonoma. Each vineyard parcel of grapes is matured separately in French oak barrels, and undergoes a full malolactic fermentation.

Smooth and creamy with ripe pear, vanilla, honey and citrus; elegant, toasty and long.

Pale gold. Exotic aromas of tangerine, honey, vanilla and candied ginger, with a smoky top note. Plush, open-knit pit fruit and orange marmalade flavors are brightened by a touch of juicy acidity and provide good palate coverage. A mineral quality sneaks in on the finish, adding lift and vivacity.

One of the best values in these new releases is the 2011 Chardonnay Sonoma. There are 4,500 cases of this $25 Chardonnay that goes through 100% malolactic and is aged in 100% French oak (only 7% new). A gorgeous wine for the price, it offers lots of honeysuckle, white currant and caramelized citrus notes along with beautiful purity as well as fruit. The oak is largely absent in the aromas and flavors, and this beautiful, mid-weight, intense Chardonnay can be enjoyed over the next few years.

Bright gold. A perfumed nose displays scents of tangerine, peach, ginger and floral honey. Supple and round in the mouth, with silky-sweet, smooth pit fruit flavors complicated by a bitter citrus pith nuance. Finishes on a gentle smoky note, with very good lift, verve and persistence. Excellent value here.

A rich and full-bodied chardonnay with lovely layers of ripe peaches and pears, some lemon and lots of vanilla-butter goodness with the oak. This lovely white wine has a satisfyingly long finish and will pair well with roast chicken. 4.5/5 Chardonnay food pairings: roast chicken, salmon, beef bourguignon, shell fish, cheese, pork tenderloin.

Bright yellow-gold. High-pitched aromas of tangerine, pear and ginger, with a touch of sweet butter in the background. Sappy, palate-staining citrus pith and orchard fruit flavors show good concentration and brightening juicy acidity. Closes nervy and long, with lingering spice and floral notes.

Light gold. Complex aromas of dried pear, iodine, white flowers and smoky peat. Densely packed, spicy and complex, with very good energy to the citrus, mineral and iodine flavors. This deep chardonnay finishes firm and smoky, with strong suggestions of minerals and anise.

Yellow-gold. Smoky pit fruits and white flowers on the expressive nose. Then sweet, juicy and dense, with powerful nectarine and tangerine flavors and good stony cut. Weightier on the finish, which features a note of honeysuckle and surprising nervy persistence. This is distinctly rich but in not way heavy. At once balanced and powerful.

Here's a polished Chard with an elegant balance to a variety that often lacks both. Everything is here, from the ripe tropical fruit and rich oak to the crisp acidity and mineral trimmings, all poised in perfect equilibrium.

This blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot opens with earthy aromas of charred earth, toasted oak and ripe dark-skinned fruit. The dense palate offers prune, tobacco and mocha alongside fine-grained tannins.

Round and supple, with a juicy texture supporting the cherry, plum, cedar and loamy flavors. Ends with dusty, gumcoating tannins. Fine length. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2020. 6,545 cases made.