Sauvignon Blanc ideal in the summer heat As consumer friendly as those wines are, I found more complexity and flavor interest as prices escalated: ...2015 Galerie "Naissance" Napa Valley lychee, stone fruit, melon; ...and 2015 Stonestreet Alexander Valley complex, grassy.

Top 100 Wines of 2017 Fermentation and aging in a mix of stainless steel and oak gives this wine a mouth-filling texture and complexity. It's refreshing and lively, with Meyer lemon, green apple and pear fruit accented by barrel spice.

Sauvignon Blanc for Labor Day Fermentation and aging in a mix of stainless steel and oak gives this wine a mouth-filling texture and complexity. Yet it remains refreshing and lively, with crisp Meyer lemon and pear fruit accented by cinnamon and nutmeg spice.

Using grapes grown at a higher elevation in Alexander Valley, this excellent sauvignon blanc has herbal and lemon bouquet followed by grapefruit and lemon flavors with balanced acidity.

A fleshy sauvignon blanc with tangy flavors. Notes of melon, pear and a hint of jalapeño. Nice texture. Lingering finish.

This is a rather pricey sauvignon blanc, but it's also more complex than most. It has a very exotic bouquet with passion fruit, lychee and grapefruit followed by grapefruit and melon flavors. Nice mineral thread and balanced acidity.

Stonestreet shows how richly complex mountain-grown fruit can be. This is a singular place to taste the truth as it applies to cabernet and chardonnay, and can be an interesting destination for sauvignon blanc as well. The 2008 is an inaugural vintage, grown at about 850 feet elevation and made with a roundness of texture and deep structure. Very little of it exists, so try it if you can, under the lovely umbrage of Black Mountain.

Stonestreet Estate Vineyards manages over 5,000 acres of vines in the Mayacamas Range, high above the Alexander Valley in northern Sonoma County. They focus on cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, but also create impressive Bordeaux blends including the 2013 Terrace Ridge Semillon /Sauvignon Blanc that Bekah from Hartford raved about. A traditional white Bordeaux blend that sits well with my palate, the semillon adds roundness to the crisp sauvignon blanc.

This Bordeaux-style blend is a tantalizing spin on sauvignon blanc. Using mountain-grown grapes, it has a range of aromas and flavors. Fig, mango and lemongrass are just a few.

Because it is a bit out of fashion, top-grade California Chardonnay is under priced. Sonoma has the edge on Napa here.

Buttery and almondy, really very sweet. Ripe and full and really good, balance after sweet ripe fruit. Well made.

If the 1998 is anywhere near as tasty as the 1997 (93,$24), this should be on your list.

Ranked 17: Stonestreet's Chardonnays are seductive, both in flavor and price.

One of the most exciting early fall wine releases is this extrodinarily complex chardonnay from a small, but well-funded, California winery. In a blind tasting, you might think this is a very expensive white Burgundy. It has the many layers of fruit flavor you look for in a California wine: pear, lemon, melon and fig. What grabs your attention, however, is the magnificient bouquet of the oak and yeast lees combined with the fruit. Aromas of toast, spice fig and brulee are seductive. Yet the wine is in no way awkward or overdone. It comes together as an impressively elegant package that is delicious now and will live on for several years.

Forward and forceful in its winemaking induced notes of toasty oak, roasted grains and supporting fruit, the ever dry aromas find a parallel in rich, fleshy, full-bodied palatal impressions….

Rich and loaded with winemaking complexities on top of its evident fruit, this one is memorable for its high toast and loads of leesey tones. Fairly full-bodied and a bit alcoholic, this big, toasty wine has oak and roasted grain flavors galore. It is rounded at entry and carries a very respectable center of fruit yet is not at all a fruity version of Chardonnay. Nicely developed, it will serve as an appealing offering with foods like roast chicken.

Most of the fruit responsible for this wine came from the cooler regions of Carneros and Russian River. Yet it has that developed, ripe quality along with spicy and toasty under tones. One glass and you'll ask for more.

…mineral and oak aromas, tart peach flavors, big and crisp, with superb balance.

The aromas carry ripe fruit scents flavoring peach and tropical tones as well as a fair measure of toast and lees, each of which stays nicely in balance without becoming excessive or dominant. A viscous entry furthers the rich impression offered by the nose, and the wine shows excellent balance at mid-palate with a polished quality that makes it appealing to drink. This well-crafted wine is lengthy at the finish and carries toasty oak as well as hints of lemons in its aftertaste.

Stonestreet is a star winery in Jess Jackson's Artisans and Estates stable and one taste of this wonderful Chardonnay will help you understand why. This is a delicious, powerful, fruit-forward Chardonnay made in the textbook Sonoma style that California Chardonnay drinkers have come to expect and love. It's dense, structured and shows great aging potential. Blended from fruit grown in various sub-appellations of Sonoma County, including Carneros, Russian River Valley and Jackson's own Alexander Mountain Estate in the Alexander Valley, this wine has everything going for it. It's lush as can be, but 100 percent malolactic fermentation thankfully did not strip this wine of its zing. With ample acidity, it recently matched up superbly with grilled, spicy shrimp and a hunk of aged Pecorino cheese. The goal of Stonestreet winemaker Mike Westrick is to create heavyweight and middleweight wines at the same time. A strange goal, you may say. But the wine achieves what it sets out to do. About 30,000 cases were released nationally in May. Suggested price is about $25.

All sorts of big aromas and flavors of tropical fruit, hazelnut and highly toasted oak. Slightly funky-yeasty quality will appeal to some tastes.

Deep, ripe fruit scents in the readily accessible aromas make an impressive opening statement for this wine's appeal. Rounded with a creamy palatal feel, the wine is built around a solid core of appley fruit and its fruit flavors are nicely seasoned, yet never overwhelmed, by spicy sweet oak. It has excellent balance, a lengthy finish and should gain further appeal with six months of cellaring.

The aromas, while basically fruity and pushed by some oaky richness, are not overwhelming in their intensity and range. Favoring a peachy, nectarine flavor direction as much as it does that of ripe apples, the wine is round, well-balanced and fairly fleshy.

This is a rich, toasty, complex wine with tiers of pear, spice, toast and smoky oak flavors, followed by a long finish. A real mouthful.