The 2015 Chardonnay is partially barrel-fermented and aged sur lie, but only about 15% new French oak is used. This wine is elegant, with good acidity and notes of baked apple pie intermixed with some white peach and pineapple in a crisp, medium to full-bodied style. Given its acid and concentration, this wine should age nicely for 7-8 years, possibly longer.

This pale gold colored Chardonnay opens with an Anjou pear and green apple bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty mild pear and gentle oak blend with notes of faint minerality. I also detected hints of almond and a touch of pineapple. The finish is dry and its flavors fade away nicely. This Chard would pair nicely with chicken and wild mushroom ravioli with a light cream sauce. Very good+.

More subdued style than some Napa chards with vanilla, stone and almond character. Cooked apple and pear flavors. Full body, fresh. Finishes intense.

Medium-light golden yellow; attractive, earthy, lemony, white peach and tropical fruit aroma with a hint of baking spices; medium-full body; fleshy, apple, citrus, and stone fruit flavors with some richness in the mouthfeel; lingering aftertaste. Very highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this wine. A long time Napa standard, it had been a while since I had revisited it. Light golden in color. The nose has melons and red apples. Very clean, little oak and no butter. On the palate, this is crisp and refreshing. Some apples, some melon with a nice mouthfeel. Food friendly. Under $30. Really a nice value in Napa Chardonnay.

From three vineyard sites, this wine benefits from the skill of its blender, who composed lemon and lime fruit crispness with more sultry full-bodied creaminess to the texture. Apple skin and herb complete the picture, finished off by a lovely accent of subtle spice.

Tangy fruit and soft oak; juicy, fresh and long; Ted Edwards has been doing this for a long time and he's got it down pat.

Full-throttle Californian Chardonnay from the heart of Napa Valley. This is such a well-known (and respected) winery. Aromas of toasty oak, pear and smoke. There's no secondary (malolactic) fermentation to preserve the fresh acidity which is nicely balancing. Primary fermentation took place in a combination of stainless steel and French oak barrels to lend creaminess. Only about 15% new French oak, the rest is second use to not add too much oak flavour. Pair with game meats and fowl.

Full-throttle Californian Chardonnay from the heart of Napa Valley. This is such a well-known (and respected) winery. Aromas of toasty oak, pear and smoke.

Sweet tangerine, tropical fruit and honey flavors mark this Chardonnay. It was wise on the winemaker's part to avoid the malolactic fermentation, because the fresh apple acidity livens up the richness. With a touch of buttered toast from the new oak barrels, it's a savory wine to drink now.

Bright and juicy with notes of citrus, banana and pineapple; silky and nicely structured with balance and excellent length; no malolactic.

The 2010 Chardonnay Howell Mountain impresses for its bright, floral notes, citrus and crushed rocks. The Howell Mountain was aged in French oak, but the malo was blocked, which preserves minerality and freshness. A clean, saline finish rounds things out nicely. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017.

Here's a lovely Chardonnay with aromas of ripe peaches and vanilla and flavors of peaches, lime and candied pineapple. It's nicely balanced and undeniably delicious, with some crispness to balance out the ripe fruit character.

A blend of different estate vineyards owned by Jess Jackson, the 2009 Chardonnay Napa is a non-malolactic effort that exhibits lots of citrus blossom, tangerine and lemon oil notes offered in a medium-bodied, steely, crisp style. The oak component is pushed way to the background in this outstanding, Chablis-like, vibrant, zesty Chardonnay. Enjoy it over the next 2-4 years. I would encourage Freemark Abbey to make more wines in this style. Freemark Abbey continues to be a work in progress as proprietor Jess Jackson moves aggressively to get this estate back to its glory days of the late sixties and early to mid-seventies.

Freemark Abbey Chardonnay is something of a forgotten classic. As other Chardonnays have grown bigger, richer and riper, winemaker Ted Edwards has held the line. This wine does not go through malolactic fermentation and therefore has enough acidity to be light on its feet; as another effect, its aromas and flavors are not dampened by the ML muting process. In fact, the wine's fresh acidity conspires to accentuate the apple aromas and flavors. The wine definitely tastes oaked in its vanilla and smoke character, but it is not overly oaky. It is full-bodied as a Chardonnay should be, but not too big, and it manages to have soft texture despite its crispness, without the bite of high alcohol that mars many a Chardonnay for me. The winery is also known for its red wines: two Cabernet Sauvignon single-vineyard wines, the Bosché and Sycamore Vineyard. The winery has changed ownership in the past few years, and I am happy to see that the wine has survived the ordeal. If you're planning to serve this wine, don't think of it as a typical full-throttle California Chardonnay. It's more delicate and fine-boned than that. It doesn't need to be very cold, because its alcohol doesn't need that straightjacket. And it can accompany food better than an excessive California Chardonnay. I like it in a medium-sized glass with a tulip-shaped bowl, and I like it with veal or chicken fillets, grilled or sautéed. As I taste it, my mind also conjures up thoughts of grilled Italian sausages. Did you notice the price? In my perfect world, this wine would command a higher price--except that in my perfect world, most Chardonnays would taste like this one.

The grapes are from all parts of the valley, cool as well as warm, and the wine shows a complex structure and rich fruity flavors. The tiers of pineapples, tangerines, sautéed bananas, green apples and butterscotch have a honeyed, botrytisy richness, although the finish is thoroughly dry.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Reserve is fabulous. Inky blue/purplish fruit, crème de cassis, gravel, smoke and cured meats give the 2015 quite a bit of complexity, while soft contours and plush fruit add to the wine's exuberant feel.

Smooth, ripe and spicy with rich plum and toasty oak; blackberry, plum and cassis fruit; balanced and long.

This pale straw-colored Sauvignon Blanc from Fortress is very good. It opens with a yellow grapefruit and lime bouquet. On the palate, this wine is light to medium bodied and displays really soft edges for a Sauvignon Blanc. I also found it to be juicy. The flavor profile is like the nose. It features a pleasant blend of lime and grapefruit with nicely integrated minerality. I also detected hints of tangerine and kiwi mixed in as well towards the end. The finish seemed semi-dry because of the lush fruit flavors lingering. This Sauvignon Blanc is quite a quaffer and would be a nice summer treat to enjoy with swordfish skewers.

A keenly priced new label from Greg Brewer, the characterful Ex Post Facto 2016 Syrah offers up a classic bouquet of cherry, smoked meats, raw cocoa and violets. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, supple and savory, with nice balance and length. 473 cases of this attractive Syrah were produced.

Reminiscent of some of Domaine Parent's old fashioned Pommards I enjoyed in the early seventies, its medium ruby color is followed by aromas of overripe plums, blackberries, cherries, and toast. Full-bodied with a nicely layered, plump texture, this low acid, luxuriously rich, expressive Pinot Noir is one of the sleepers being made in California.

…...Scents of truffle, game and black cherry combine with new French oak, creating heady perfume. The flavors are earthy and pungent with a deep flavor of soil and vine in a ripe, medium-bodied style. This is a hand-crafted wine that will benefit from a two- to three-year cellar regime to bring out all its reticent complexity. Or enjoy it now for its bright, fresh fruit flavors and tangy texture...……

This is the kind of muscular but gentle wine inland Mendocino is betting on. Deep flavors of plums, berries and herbs, extracted and bold, but the wine is well balanced and not too alcoholic. It's fun to taste such rich flavor without having the wine be ponderous. A fine wine, and one that captures Petite's scrappy character.

There is nothing petite about this wine. It shows an opaque red-black color, concentrated aromas full of blackberry and cedar, then flavors like pomegranate juice and blackberry jam, without being sweet. All this density and intensity will help it age. It will improve if allowed to age in a cool place until at least 2020.

Edmeades describes its 'Folly' as a Zinfandel blend. Actually, less than half the blend is Zin. The Zin shares space with Syrah, Petite Sirah and Merlot. But I quibble. This juicy red is full of Zinful brambly berry character, ripe black fruits and an overlay of oak vanillin. It's fun and friendly, with supple, easy tannins, and should find a place around the picnic table throughout the outdoor grilling season.