Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Napa Valley 2009

Jack Cakebread came to Napa for the first time 30 years ago to photograph, and subsequently fell in love with the region and the wine, and began making his wine. Granny Smith apple aromas and strong minerality and smokiness on the palate. Drink this now, or hold for 3-5 years for a delightful experience.

Delivers a beam of ripe pear, green apple, floral and spicy scents that are fresh, lively and full-bodied, ending with a snappy fruit and mineral edge. Drink now through 2016.

Grown in Carneros (50 percent) and further north in the Napa Valley, this is a dynamic chardonnay with broad dimensions. It builds on a rich fruit flavor of cider apples, layered with chamomile and wheat. There's a satisfying length of flavor, seeming to incorporate the cool feel of a stonewalled cellar with the warmth of the autumn sun. Delicious now, this should gain more complexity with age.

Ripe and vibrant, with a mix of green apple, melon and pear fruit and a touch of light spicy oak. Still a bit raw, but bottle time will resolve that. Drink now through 2012.

Clean and refreshing, snappy and vibrant, with zesty citrus, fresh quince and green apple notes. Drink now through 2012.

Give this fine Chard some time in the bottle to knit together. Tasted at about one year of age, it was a little disjointed, but the parts are quite good. The flavors of pineapples, Meyer lemons and golden mango need time to integrate with the butterscotchy, caramelly oak.

A crisp, flinty style, with peach, pear, anise and nectarine notes and little if any noticeable oak. Drink now through 2006.