Attractive golden hue. Medium body. Balanced acidity. Moderate extract and oak. Vanilla, melon, citrus. Round and lush with beautifully integrated oak and a pretty core of fruit. Long, elegant finish.

Bright gold green color. Medium-bodied. Balanced acidity. Moderate extract and oak. Apples, citrus, browned butter. Rich buttery aromas reveal a lively wine with marked oak character but good acid balance.

Deep game, truffle and honey nose, with an exotic marmalade quality. Thick and sweet, with a flavor of dried apricot. Smooth and concentrated.

Spicy style with tart, succulent fruit, earth, berries, grapefruit, vanilla and soft oak notes that last.

Ripe, smooth and intense, with buttery pear and apple flavors welling up through layers of spice and toast notes. Finishes soft, round and beautifully balanced.

A rich, oily, tropical fruit-scented and flavored wine with an opulent texture.

Key lime, poached apple, roasted nut, flint and meringue aromas show on the nose of this bottling by the large yet still family-owned operation. It lands fat on the palate with ripe, roasted apple and clean Meyer lemon flavors, a very classic Chardonnay in the Kendall-Jackson style.

Glazed pear and dried pineapple flavors are matched to spicy accents in this open-textured style. Buttery pastry notes show on the finish.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged eight months in 26% new French oak, the 2017 Chardonnay Grand Reserve gives up very compelling grapefruit and ripe peach notes with hints of allspice and honey toast. Medium to full-bodied, the palate features a satiny texture with loads of spicy stone fruit and a lively citrusy lift on the finish.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay Seco Highlands is exotic, perfumed and nuanced, with all of the tropical character that is so typical of Rued clone Chardonnays. Passion fruit, mint and wild flowers all add to the wine's racy personality. It would be nice to see a bit more body, but otherwise, the Seco Highlands is well done.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond Kendall-Jackson's 2017 Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve is a reliably delicious, affordable wine that hits all the right notes for a barrel-fermented Chardonnay in its price range. Tangerine, dried flowers, vanillin and honey notes all meld together in a supple Chardonnay that can be enjoyed upon release. Kendall-Jackson's ability to make the Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, with production of in excess of 2.5 million cases per year, at this level of quality, is truly remarkable.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay Fulton Ranch is a racy, exuberant wine that captures all of the natural intensity of the Russian River. Bold and immediate, the 2017 is easy to enjoy for its up-front fruit and open-knit, giving personality.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay Cloud Landing Petaluma Gap is inviting. In this range, the Cloud Landing is differentiated by a distinct floral signature that is so typical of Mt. Eden clone Chardonnays. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint and chalk all open up in this pretty, if somewhat slender, Chardonnay.

Smoke, dried white peach, orange rind and pear flesh show on the nose of this bottling from one of the Jackson family's more coveted estates. The palate is all about classic California Chardonnay, with butter and fine-grained oak flavors balanced by bright lemon.

Rich and well-crafted, with a creamy texture and buttery accents to the pear tart and ripe apple flavors. Dried sage notes linger on the finish.

Rich yellow color. Aromas of almonds, honey, bruised apple, along with sea breeze and white flowers. Rich texture and it’s creamy and bold but also fresh acidity. Bruised apple, lemon curd, yellow pears, along with flavors of almond cake, cinnamon. Underlying notes of minerals, sea salt and ocean breeze. Lovely, rich, nuanced. Aged 10 months in 40% new French oak.

A small step up in price, the 2016 Chardonnay Grand Reserve comes from Santa Barbara and Monterey counties and was brought up all in French oak, 29% new. This cuvée goes completely through malolactic fermentation. Similarly colored to the Vintners Reserve, with vibrant notes of pineapple, mango, spice, and honeyed citrus, it’s clean, nicely balanced, and textured, with loads of charm. It’s another well-made, borderline outstanding Chardonnay to drink over the coming couple of years.

The 2016 Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve is very pretty. Orange blossom, tropical fruit, honey and buttery notes are nicely delineated in this attractive, mid-weight Chardonnay. Kendall-Jackson has toned down the malolactic fermentation and now works in a style that emphasizes freshness while also reducing the residual sugar that was once such a signature of this wine. I am not sure which stat is more impressive: an annual production of nearly 3 million bottles or the fact that 75% of the fruit for the Vintner's Reserve is estate.

Weekend Wine Picks Chief winemaker Randy Ullom mixes Monterey County citrus and lime flavours with the mango and pineapple flavours of Santa Barbara County, the green apple notes of Mendocino County and Sonoma County’s ripe pears. The wine is fermented and aged in French and American oak barrels and aged sur lie. The combination of freshness and roundness with a mix of papaya, pineapple and mango flavours makes this a crowd favourite. It is fully ready to drink. Try it with a chicken salad or a favourite creamy pasta dish.

Weekend Wine Picks K-J owns all fruit that goes into its 2 million-plus case brand. Winemaker Randy Ullom describes the blend as Monterey County citrus and lime flavours, with the mango and pineapple flavours of Santa Barbara County, green apple notes of Mendocino County, and Sonoma County’s ripe pears. The wine is fermented and aged in French and American oak barrels and aged sur lie. Soft, round and fresh, it is fully ready to drink. Try it with a chicken salad or a favourite creamy pasta dish. 89 points.

This yellow colored Chardonnay from Kendall Jackson is as always, very good. It opens with lemon and pineapple bouquet with a hint of oak. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied and balanced. The flavor profile is a golden apple and gentle pineapple blend with notes of faint oak. There is also a hint of lemon and tangerine towards the end. The finish is dry and it drifts away nicely. This Chard will be its usual crowd pleaser self. It will also be versatile glass pour. Very good.

The 2016 Chardonnay Fulton Ranch has come together nicely. Orange peel, butter, vanillin and a host of tropical notes flesh out in an attractive, plush Chardonnay that will drink well right out of the gate.

The uniqueness of Santa Maria Valley, as a whole, stems from its east-west orientation, instead of the usually north-south orientation of most California valleys. This orientation allows the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean direct access to the vineyards. Indeed, vineyards just a few miles inland are considerable warmer, producing grapes and wines with different flavor profiles, than ones further west. Although Camelot Highlands is still in Santa Maria Valley, Kendall-Jackson’s Chardonnay from there is quite different from their other Santa Maria bottling, demonstrating the diversity of that valley. This one delivers more spiced tropical fruit flavors balanced by lively acidity. Tasting the two side-by-side shows that location does matter. 89 points.

Rounded aromas of Gravenstein apple, marmalade on warm toast and fine-grained oak show on the nose of this bottling. It’s clean and very classic on the palate, offering roasted apple, crushed nut, lemon rind and seared orange flavors.

Lush and open-textured, with concentrated flavors of ripe apple, pear, dried peach and melon. Creamy midpalate, offering butter and spice notes on the juicy finish.