Impressively ripe and lush, but not overly oaked, this Chardonnay comes from a winery that consistently produces first-rate examples of the varietal. As its name suggests, La Crema specializes in wines that taste rich and feel creamy on the palate. This particular example is made very much in that style, while maintaining sufficient acidity for balance, so manages to taste both soft and fresh--an enticing combination.

The sourcing of grapes for this Pinot Gris is primarily from Monterey County with small amounts from San Luis Obispo and Napa counties. More interesting is the multi-grape blend based on Pinot Gris with bits and pieces of Marsanne, Roussanne, Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Chardonnay. It's a fruit basket blend featuring a slightly burnished light-medium gold color, ripe nectarine-scented nose, 14.2% alcohol, good texture and medium body, supporting citrus peel flavors with hints of spice. The finish is a bit short but with pleasant fruit accents.

Avant is Kendall-Jackson's latest venture into the over-crowded Chardonnay market. Priced right and made with minimum oak contact, it has an appealing medium gold color, subtle floral perfume with vanilla crème back notes. There are fresh fruit flavors and the wine has good texture with a touch of sweetness in the mid palate, though it finishes dry with 13.5% alcohol and a trace of minerality. If you like the K-J style but prefer your Chardonnay with less oak and noticeable sweetness, the new K-J Avant may be the Chardonnay for you.

The K-J Grand Reserve takes Chardonnay up a notch with carefully selected grapes, small lot fermentation and judicious aging on the lees for increased creaminess. The color is a lively medium gold and the aromatics offer floral, cloves and vanilla with nicely integrated oak. This is a more restrained Chardonnay than the Vintner's Reserve, finishing dry with balanced fruit and oak and 13.5% alcohol.

If taking fresh, slightly citrusy fruit as its main motif in the nose, this medium-full-bodied effort proves to be a bit plumper in feel and riper in tone once on the palate. Its rich and very accessible flavors are keyed on sweet apples with highlights of soft, mildly vanillin oak spice, and its open manner makes it one to enjoy in the relatively near term.

Winemaker Randy Ullom is well respected, and deservedly so, for the cleverness with which he manages K-J's Vintner's Reserve range. The wines are typically blends from Jess Jackson properties littered all over California, and keeping track of it all must be a bit of a nightmare at harvest. I say the man's a genius. Ullom not only keeps track of those thousands of individual lots, he makes perfect sense with them. The Syrah is one of the best wines in the Vintner's Reserve line and the '08 exhibits layered blueberry and black cherry nuance with a hint of animal and smokey oak...

Vintner's Reserve is the K-J signature Chardonnay, loaded with ripe tropical flavors and hints of sweet fruit and vanilla. Barrel fermented and aged on the lees, the wine has ample toasted oak, simple ripe pineapple flavors, modest 13.5% alcohol and a rounded fruity finish. Vintner's Reserve is the more overt style of the duo of K-J value Chardonnays.

Marsanne and Roussanne are two varieties that never gained as much attention out side the Northern Rhone as Viognier, although Roussanne has attracted some moderate interest. This 2009 from McLaren Vale was barrel fermented in French oak and remained on the yeast lees for four months. The color is a medium gold and the nose is closed-in but showing citrus rind and pears. It has good texture but the flavors are delicate and undistinguished, with 13.5% alcohol and some oak in the finish.

One of the finest Chardonnays I have yet tasted from K-J is the stunning 2009 Highland Estates Chardonnay Camelot, a classic California Chardonnay exhibiting notes of caramelized citrus, pineapples and mangos intermixed with a hint of spicy, smoky oak. It displays an attractive steely minerality, full-bodied richness, a layered mouthfeel and an extremely long finish. This beauty should drink well for 3-5 years. Kendall-Jackson enjoys a well-deserved reputation for over-delivering quality vis à vis price for its wines.

A fabulous wine that should be purchased by the case is the 2007 Highland Estates Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa's Mt. Veeder. Made from estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon from the Veeder Peak Vineyard, this is a stunningly rich, full-bodied, opulent, blue/purple-colored Cabernet displaying notes of ink, asphalt, creme de cassis, blueberries and hints of underbrush and spring flowers. It is another sensational Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder, a tricky sector in the Mayacamas Mountains. A wine for true connoisseurs, this 2007 needs another 4-5 years of cellaring and should be capable of lasting 20-25 years or more. Kendall-Jackson enjoys a well-deserved reputation for over-delivering quality vis à vis price for its wines.

The luxury cuvee of 2009 Chardonnay Journey is 100% barrel-fermented and aged in French oak (50% new) for ten months prior to bottling. It reveals more caramelized tropical fruit, honeysuckle, white peach, toast and brioche notes in a full-bodied, rich, concentrated, pure style with an enticing texture as well as a long, authoritative finish. Enjoy it over the next 3-4 years. Quality is slowly rising at Matanzas Creek since it was acquired by Jess Jackson a number of years ago. He has done an excellent job bringing in winemaker Marcia Monahan and returning this estate to its glory days of the early nineties.

A stunning effort is the more limited production 2009 Chardonnay Jackson Hills from Santa Barbara. From hillside Chardonnay vineyards, this beauty offers plenty of tropical fruit, honeysuckle, peach and pineapple notes along with a medium to full-bodied, elegant yet authoritative personality. Kendall-Jackson enjoys a well-deserved reputation for over-delivering quality vis à vis price for its wines.

The finest red wine produced at Matanzas Creek in more than a decade is the 2008 Journey Proprietary Red. A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple hue along with notes of black currants, black cherries, tobacco leaf, underbrush, toast and earth. Medium to full-bodied with moderate tannin and a youthful, unevolved personality, it will benefit from 1-2 years of bottle age and should age effortlessly for 15-20. Quality is slowly rising at Matanzas Creek since it was acquired by Jess Jackson a number of years ago. He has done an excellent job bringing in winemaker Marcia Monahan and returning this estate to its glory days of the early nineties.

Even better is the sensational 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Helena Bench a limited production white that is also both tank and barrel fermented. More honeysuckle, caramelized grapefruit, orange zest and fig characteristics are found in this medium-bodied, fresh, fruit-driven 2009. Quality is slowly rising at Matanzas Creek since it was acquired by Jess Jackson a number of years ago. He has done an excellent job bringing in winemaker Marcia Monahan and returning this estate to its glory days of the early nineties.

The 2009 Chardonnay Bennett Valley was barrel-fermented and aged in 20% new oak. Medium to full-bodied with notes of honeysuckle, pear, pineapple and white peach, it is a stylish, crisp white with the oak component clearly pushed to the background. Quality is slowly rising at Matanzas Creek since it was acquired by Jess Jackson a number of years ago. He has done an excellent job bringing in winemaker Marcia Monahan and returning this estate to its glory days of the early nineties.

The outstanding 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Hills from Jess Jackson's holdings in Knight's Valley is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 19 months in nearly all French oak (45% new). Its dense opaque purple color is followed by notes of spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, graphite and ink. Full-bodied and rich with moderately high tannins as well as tremendous concentration and length, it needs 2-3 years of cellaring and should keep for 15-20. Kendall-Jackson enjoys a well-deserved reputation for over-delivering quality vis à vis price for its wines.

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.

The star of this line-up is the delicious, exotic, fruit-forward 2009 The Fume, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc from the North Coast (primarily Lake County and Alexander Valley). It offers abundant notes of honeysuckle, orange marmalade, fig and melons in a crisp, fresh, medium-bodied, exotic, exuberant style. It needs to be consumed over the next year.

The outstanding 2009 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley (from newer Dijon clones such as 667, 777 and 115) reveals classic Anderson Valley notes of flowers, blueberries and raspberries. Medium-bodied with excellent purity, flesh and texture, this is a delicious Pinot to enjoy over the next 4-5 years. La Crema is an excellent value winery owned by Jess Jackson with an impressive group of winemakers, including Melissa Stackhouse.

The 2009 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is outstanding. Its medium ruby color is followed by aromas of loamy soil intermixed with sweet black cherries, raspberries and plums. This medium-bodied, elegant, flavorful Pinot is already endearing and should continue to drink well for 2-3 years. La Crema is an excellent value winery owned by Jess Jackson with an impressive group of winemakers, including Melissa Stackhouse.

The outstanding 2008 Pinot Noir Los Carneros reveals abundant damp earth, beet root vegetable, plum, black cherry and black currant characteristics that offer considerable complexity. Sweet tannins are present in this medium to full-bodied, velvety-textured, irresistible wine. It should continue to drink nicely for 2-4 years. La Crema is an excellent value winery owned by Jess Jackson with an impressive group of winemakers, including Melissa Stackhouse.

More tropical aromas of pineapples, orange marmalade and honeysuckle jump from the glass of the 2009 Chardonnay Monterey. Fifty percent of this cuvee was put through malolactic fermentation and it came in under 14% alcohol, not unusual in a cool year such as 2009. It exhibits abundant fruit, medium body, good depth and a seductive style. Enjoy it over the next several years. La Crema is an excellent value winery owned by Jess Jackson with an impressive group of winemakers, including Melissa Stackhouse.

The 2009 Sauvignon Blanc possesses lovely melon and tropical fruit notes in its intense as well as delicate, fragrant, medium-bodied personality. It admirably showcases the wonderful aromatics that all varietals seem to possess in the 2009 vintage. Composed of nearly all Sauvignon and a tiny dollop of Semillon, 93% was tank-fermented and 7% was barrel-fermented. Enjoy it over the next 1-2 years. Quality is slowly rising at Matanzas Creek since it was acquired by Jess Jackson a number of years ago. He has done an excellent job bringing in winemaker Marcia Monahan and returning this estate to its glory days of the early nineties.