This Riesling is distinctly off-dry. It's rich with sugary orange and lime jam, white flower and mineral flavors, with the brisk acidity associated with the Arroyo Seco region. Easy to drink now.

Stone fruit, peach and nectarine on the nose from this Monterey County riesling along with a modicum of spice and minerality. Peach skin, nectarine pit and sunny citrus flavors come through on the palate. It has a soft flavor entry and lands on midpalate with a hint of St. Joseph baby aspirin or what seems like orange muscat as well. Not your typical German or California riesling, somehow that softness translates to further upbeat acidity on the finish, which is brighter, sunnier and more refreshing than expected.

Admit it, you like chardonnay. Here are 14 worth trying Unoaked chardonnays are being found in greater numbers because enough consumers have been turned off by the vanilla and butterscotch flavors that come from oak barrels. Like similar unoaked wines, this Carmel Road is a better match with delicate foods, such as fish. From Monterey, the wine offers bright acidity and stone fruit flavors.

Cobalt dinner shines spotlight on chef's dishes, Monterey wine pairings To dine on splendid cuisine created by Cobalt Restaurant's executive chef Daniel Traimas while taking in the elegant restaurant’s ocean views is a treat. But to indulge in and learn about a Monterey winery’s varietals and blends at the same time is a unique experience to savor. About 30 lucky people attended the recent Carmel Road Wine Dinner featuring winemaker Kris Kato’s wines and a collaborative blend Kato created with actress Drew Barrymore. During the initial meet and greet, we were warmly welcomed by restaurant and hotel management’s Robert Graney and Awet Sium and learned about Kato and his partnership with Barrymore Wines. The comfortable informal conversations were enhanced by chilled glasses of Unoaked Chardonnay 2016. Barrels give wine texture and complexity but an unoaked wine is lighter-bodied with more fresh fruit flavors. We agreed the tropical, juicy pineapple notes made this wine very special. Our first course was lobster spring rolls with rice noodles, cucumber, and pickled veggies with peanut sauce. They were so delicious. The seared foie gras was creamy and smooth and was enjoyed with red onion jam on toasted challah. Both paired beautifully with the Chardonnay.

As part of an ongoing wine dinner series on June 7, Carmel Road Winery joined the Whaling Station Steakhouse for an exquisite meal paired carefully with its best varietals, those that Monterey County is known for: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir… The second course, a decadent salad topped with two blackened prawns, went along smoothly with Carmel Road’s 2015 East Bend Chardonnay–a juicy, apple-y and quite traditionally lovely Chard with just a hint of oak. The strong butter sat well with the well-spiced prawns and delicate dressing.

Screw cap. Dry, full bodied, and smoothly textured, this is an excellent unoaked Chardonnay. It has white peach, apple, candied lemon, and roasted nut aromas/flavors, good balance, and a lingering finish. 4 stars, excellent.

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Grapes for Carmel Road wines come from cool-climate vineyards in the Santa Lucia Mountains, inland from Monterey’s rugged coastline. This flavorful unoaked Chardonnay is bright and youthful with fruit-forward aromas and flavors of peach and pear with balancing acidity on the finish.

A very nice example of what cool climate and unoaked chardonnay is all about. Beautiful, pure pear and apple fruit with some citrus notes, and a whiff of minerality.

This stainless-steel-fermented wine offers a curiously herbal aroma of lemon verbena, with a bit of wet slate and fresh-cut honeydew. As expected, the flavors are steely at first, with fruit flavors of ripe pear and lemon emerging in the midpalate, winding up on a distinctly tart apple-skin finish.

Light and crisp, with floral aromas and flavors of golden apples and spice.

The Clark Vineyard, in the shadows of the Santa Lucia range in the Arroyo Seco AVA, enjoys a slightly warmer climate than most vineyards in the valley. It is the primary source for fruit used in this all-stainless Chardonnay crafted by winemaker Ivan Giotenov. Look for aromas and flavors of earthy pear and cream with notes of orchard blossom and spicy baked apple.

This Chardonnay, as you may have guessed from the designation, is unoaked. What you get is fruit, and plenty of it, in the form of pineapples and peaches. There’s a good burst of acidity on the finish.

2011 Carmel Road Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco, Monterey: crisp and fruity, with ripe pear and lemon aromas and flavors.

Nothing but fruit in this cleverly named, unoaked Chardonnay. The wine shows intense, long hangtime flavors of limes, oranges and exotic tropical fruits, heightened by crisp acidity and a strong minerality that accentuates and delineates the flavors.

Beat the heat with summer whites. ...the 2010 Carmel Road Liberated made without the use of any oak, it's bright and zesty with a touch of mineral.

Two new (one star) standouts earn an enthusiastic thumbs-up vote for value as well, and both the zesty, unoaked Carmel Road Liberated Monterey 2010...

Grapes for Carmel Road wines come from the benchland and hillside vineyards that lie within the Salinas Valley of Monterey County. The alluvial plain stretches southeast from Monterey Bay through the rain shadow of the Santa Lucia mountains to the Arroyo Seco Canyon. This area produces superb Chardonnays including this bottling from Carmel Road. Look for aromas and flavors of tropical citrus, pear and vanilla with notes of mineral on the finish.

Made in the popular style, this sweet, direct Chardonnay has orange, lime and pineapple fruit juice flavors.

2009 Carmel Road Chardonnay, Monterey: big and round and rich, with floral aromas and sweet pineapple flavors.

A delicious chardonnay, this wine has expressive tropical fruit and pear flavors, a creamy texture and a long finish.

Aromas and flavors of green apple, pear, vanilla and toast. Rich texture. Elegant.

Beautiful! A ripe clean wine.