Pretty notes of peach, pear and creme brulee define the likeable aromas here, and sweet peach qualities continue as the central theme of this slick, medium-full-bodied wine's uncomplicated, mildly sugary flavors as well. Very frontal and wanting a bit more fruity depth to ensure successful aging, this is very much a wine for the present.

It was simple...easy to drink and pleasant. We thought that a bottle of this wine, put in a big tub of ice by the pool, would be lovely on a hot day and we wrote: 'Everyone would like this.' We were certainly right about that: It was Kendall-Jackson 1999...

A California premium favorite...

The least expensive of the Kendall-Jackson siblings is the most successful insofar as value is concerned. Its clean-as-can-be delivery of simple, lightly candied fruitiness and sweet oak..."will work...tasty.

Medium gold; butterscotch bouquet; lively bite; apply and honey.

...intense fruity flavors. Sense the tropical fruit, apple, citrus and melon aromas and flavors. This Chardonnay has a crisp, lingering finish...

Aromas of citrus and tropical fruit are interwoven with barrel spices. It's big and rich in the mouth with plenty of fruit but it has a certain leanness that's very appealing. This one's almost chewy in texture; there's that much substance along with plenty of depth. The tropical fruit, lemon drop and tangerine on the palate give way to pinpoint acidity and a long finish.

dry, full-bodied, medium acidity, heavy oak; An explosion of citrus and creamy mango flavors.

...a great value for its quiet, clean chardonnay flavors sharpened and focused by oak. The fruit and wood meld into a brown butter flavor, drawing a line down the middle of the palate...

Bright, pale color. Rather exotic aromas of apricot, tropical fruits, toffee, butter and sweet oak. Chewy and rich in the mouth, with firm acidity leaving the sweet peach and apricot flavors. Finishes ripe and satisfying.

dry, full-bodied, high acidity, heavy oak; A buttery, toasty, pineapple-y cliche of a Chardonnay with a dollop of acidity.

Here is a rich but uneven wine that counts sweet, slightly tropical fruit and a big dose of oak among its assets, but its stiff latter-palate acidity stands in direct contrast to its softer, slightly fat beginnings. A wine of a few too many seams just now, it makes no guarantees that age will bring the integration that it so clearly lacks.

A bit of butter and hints of burnt toast sit atop baked-apple elements in the moderately dense and fairly outgoing aromas here...Medium-full-bodied and slanted to softness, this one imitates sweetness along the way...

Bright tropical fruit nose and flavors, toasty oak, rich and round in the mouth. Very exotic.

…there's no denying the 'grip' this wine has on the market…

Strong flavors of peaches and baked apples, with fresh acidity effectively balancing the wine's full ripeness.

...this bottling has a nose of apple, pear and coconut, followed by a rich mouth feel of lemon, apple and pear flavors. A wine of finesse and elegance with the toasty oak well integrated, it seems representative of the barrel fermented/malolactic style but not necessarily identifiable as Sonoma Coast. Still, it's a real mouthful.

Round, with notes of melted butter, honey and cream.

A warm chardonnay wit tropical fruit flavor of sweet pineapple associated with this region. The finish is a little gruff, and would be smoothed by glazed ham.

Forward tropical fruit; round, lush flavors, tropical fruit notes, juicy with crisp acidity; good finish. Nice as a cocktail wine...

…great value…fruity, fragrant…juicy tasting…

We spot a distinct familial resemblance between this wine and K-J 's ubiquitous Vintner's Reserve bottling, but this one has more distinctive fruit and is just that much juicier overall. It costs a few dollars more but is not going to be so obviously available. Yet, given the choice, this one gets the nod if the prices are at all close at your local wine merchant.

Proof that you learn something new every day. It would never occur to us to buy a late-harvest Chardonnay and we'd miss out on something pretty spectacular. Plump, rich, life-affirming and not too sweet.

I'm not much of a fan of late harvest chardonnays, but this one is terrific. It has honeyed flavors of apricot and peach, with some refreshing, citrusy acidity to cut the sweetness.

Rich oak, ripe apples and wisps of flower team nicely in the open, easy to access aromas here, and the wine follows with similarly oak-enriched, ripe fruit flavors of medium depth. Rounded on entry, then noticeably firmed by plenty of crisping acids, this one is presently a little clipped at the end, but it should smooth into a bit more length with bottle age.