Creamy and dreamy chardonnays shouldn't be left out of the Valentine's Day picture. Both of these wines have a sense of sweetness that comes from picking the grapes very ripe in a cool climate region; in the winery, that sense is heightened by fermenting and aging the wine in toasted oak barrels. La Crema, also sourced from a cooler-climate region, shows lemon oil and yellow apple along with a dollop of butterscotch on the nose. Dense, though not ponderous, with flavors of apple, lemon curd and vanilla custard/yogurt plus hints of pineapple and mango, it's also very rich and creamy. Fresh, concentrated and layered, it's supple and entertaining with a sweet spot on midpalate that makes a lengthy impact on the finish.

La Crema can be counted on to produce under-valued chardonnay and pinot noir. This Monterey version has classic tropical fruit notes with a good dose of butterscotch and spice for those of you who like the influences of oak.

Beat the heat with summer whites. The La Crema is dry and crisp but nicely textured...

Lots of butter and vanilla in this one, but it's well structured and easily quaffed. The grapes come from cool-climate vineyards, offering good minerality. My score, 8.9.

The Los Carneros version steps it up with about a quarter new French oak barrels in the mix. Plenty of stone fruit like peach and nectarine on the nose and palate with a little thread of vanilla and spice that doesn't draw attention to itself. The flavors fill the mouth well in a leaner (but not meaner) style. Pinpoint acidity helps keep all the flavors in check and the balance is impeccable.

Limited to, as the name suggests, only nine of the best barrels in the winery (that's 225 cases), this chardonnay is full-blown and the antithesis of the Los Carneros. It pops its aromatics right out of the glass with rich creamery butter and buttered popcorn layers over lemon citrus and a little pineapple. Rich and full-bodied, it leads with green apple, pear and stone fruit on the palate as well as baked apple pie spice and vanilla. All the flavors are quite well delineated, showing good texture on midpalate and good length on the finish as the butter and spice hits a high note with the stone fruit.

Recommended in an article on Golden State values

A tropical chardonnay with bright acid. Aromas and flavors of pineapple, apricot, lemon and mineral. Lush.

The long, cool growing season of the Sonoma Coast AVA is a nearly perfect climate for growing Chardonnay, and La Crema's Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a hallmark of the region's potential. A blend of clonal selections is the basis for this bottling including several California clones (Clone 4, Robert Young and Rued) along with Dijon clone fruit which has become more widely planted in recent years. Look for bright aromas of citrus and ripe apple with notes of toasty oak and butterscotch. The palate is well structured with a base of citrus and pear flavors, enhanced by hints of caramel and floral perfume, and finishing with lingering citrus and vanilla.

A creamy chardonnay with aromas and flavors of pear, melon, vanilla, toast and spice. Has a lush texture. Nice length.

It was well balanced with generous citrus and toasted oak aromas followed by apple and orange flavors, good mouthfeel and a hint of vanilla and butterscotch. A good value for what you get.

One of six wines recently won favor with the Chronicle tasting panel while also offering great value and good local availability...Great for just hanging out and sipping.

This staple of the Jackson Family Wines portfolio did well with its '08. Aged mostly in older oak, it's a brimming bowl of ripe fruit, slightly tropical and banana, and giving off peach and Meyer lemon as well. Clean and unflashy in its style, it finishes with a punch of tangy citrus.

Lean, toasty, citric nose. Supple and forward, but has underlying acidity to lift the finish. Balanced and long.

Beautiful apple and toast nose. Very elegant and classy, with apple and citrus flavors. A terrific package.

Take La Crema's 2007 Monterey Chardonnay, the inaugural vintage for this wine. It's a blend of about 250 distinct vineyard blocks all barrel-fermented separately. Stackhouse and her team will taste the lots blind all year long, putting together trial blends to see what they like or don't like and then decide on a direction for the final blend. They don't allow themselves to rely on whatever the blend was the year before.

A new appellation for an old favorite.

Top Wines of Sonoma: Sonoma Wine Country Weekend August 2009

The chardonnay is baked apple, baked pear, a little shortbread. Not flabby.

Top Wines of Sonoma: Sonoma Wine Country Weekend August 2009.

That's my favorite chardonnay --it's driven by lemon zest, minerality and a stony, minerally finish. It's my favorite Chard of the bunch, too--you want to think Burgundy, though you know it's California fruit in the heart of that river of midpalate flavors. The 2007 is La Crema's first Los Carneros Chardonnay.