...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.

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.