Frontal and relatively accessible with its ripe apple and pear aromas seasoned with creamy oak and a background note of leesy nuttiness, the wine is direct, tasty and obvious in flavor. A tasty offering to be sure, it would seen to want service with dishes that are both rich and somewhat sweet…

A full-bodied, woody chardonnay that has much fruit and a buttery finish.

Its ripe, oaky, fruity, will-rounded flavors and slightly sweet finish appeal to many people who probably wouldn't care for flinty, Chablis-style wines or leaner California bottlings.

Forward tropical-fruit aroma, mangoes and bananas, spicy accent; lively tropical flavors, creamy texture, cinnamon note.

Smoky and spicy oak and tropical fruit aromas. Smooth and silky in the mouth, with the slightly sweet flavor of an orange Creamsicle. Good weight and just enough balancing acidity. The finish is ripe, sweet and persistent.

Deep yellow straw with ripe melon, honey and vanilla nose. Mouthfilling intense tropical fruit with layers of toasty oak Classic California. A pure pleasure wine.

…the impressively fruited and widely available Kendall-Jackson 1997 prove that fine quality and low-price tags need not be mutually exclusive.

Up-front appley fruit and touches of lemon are neatly married to a balanced bit of sweet oak in both the squeaky clean aromas and compact young flavors of this lively, medium-bodied effort.

We like it and always do. It's got good tropical fruit, gobs of fruit and that slightly sweet taste.

Elegant spicy-oak and ripe-pear nose, nicely integrated toasted oak; dry honeyed flavors, ripe peaches; complex, long finish.

Here is an other wine that bears all the attractive hallmarks of Santa Barbara Chardonnay. Its aroma suggests tropical fruits, and it is rounded and softly inviting at entry, bright, and firm in the finish.

Beautiful tropical flavors and aromas with good acidity and toasty on the finish. From Santa Maria Valley.

Clean and blossomy aromas show sweet fruit and a touch of citrus pushing through lees and oak elements but depth is not evident at any step. Glycerin gives an impression of richness on the palate and, in spite of its slight coarseness, this one should drink well with chicken preparations.

"Simple, straightforward, soft and pleasant for its spice and melon flavors." also appeared in 7/98 issue

Up-front oak and fruity nose, layered fruity flavors, toasty oak and ripe pineapple, hint of sweetness; long, fruity finish. Perfect with chicken with fruit salsa, calamari salad.

The wine is drier than previous examples, with a pleasant, crisp, melony, and tropical fruit-scented nose, honeyed, light-bodied flavors, and a clean finish. This is more than just a serviceable wine, it is a pleasant example of lighter-styled, fruit-driven Chardonnay. Drink it over the next year.

Simple and quite unpronounced aromas on the nose. Quite crisp, refreshing orange flavours on the palate with limey overtones and a good tangy length.

"Simple and quite unpronounced aromas on the nose. Quite crisp, refreshing orange flavors on the palate with limey overtones and a good tangy length." Also appeared 9/98

Ranked 59

Brimming with complex flavors, this California Chardonnay offers a harmonious blend of ripe pear, nectarine, pineapple and spice, with smoky, toasty oak filling in the gaps nicely.

.tropical fruit flavors and a slightly sweet impression on the palate but with just enough acidity to bolster the layered fruit.

Light butterscotch character is more evident in the nose than on the palate. This is a pleasing chardonnay, best enjoyed well chilled.

If not the stuff of which dreams are made, this wholly enjoyable bottling comes close. Its clean, attractively rich, frontal aromas are redolent of peaches, pears, honey and sweet cream butter, and its round, youthfully vigorous flavors echo those introductory themes. Only the need for an extra bit of depth and reach keeps this one from higher ratings. Withal, it will make an excellent partner to dishes like pastas with smoked chicken or even mild sausages in light cream or butter sauces.

A very nicely fruited, apple, pear and vaguely floral first sniff is quickly joined by enriching notes of sweet butter and creamy oak. In the mouth, the wine is round and supple on the palate with greater viscosity than has been typical of the vintage, and its mouthfilling flavors of ripe apples and pineapples fit handsomely with the creamy, quietly toasty oak. Firming a bit at the end, this wine will show better and better over the next one to three years.

"A full-bodied wine, with a delightful pale yellow color. On the palate, a luscious, rounded cocktail of lemon, lime and big flavored oak, complemented by uplifting acidity. Good length and depth add to its charms." (Also appeared 10/1/97 in Wine Magazine.)