Chateau Souverain Chardonnay 2008

Smooth, ripe and creamy in texture, this California Chardonnay featured rich pear, fig, melon and spice notes, gaining depth and complexity on the finish, where the flavors flourish. What a buy, from a winemaker with a deft touch with this varietal.

Pretty pear, apple, hazelnut and vanilla notes are complex and lively. Smooth, supple and harmonious, it's a terrific wine at a value price.

Ripe, bright, rather exotic aromas of honey and melon. Fairly large-scaled but solidly built, with good backbone and acidity; lovely restrained sweetness. Finishes quite firm.

This California Chardonnay is a winner all around. It's firm and bright, offering a solid snappy core of citrus and mineral along with pretty pear and apple flavors, all mingling on the long, zingy finish. And the price is right. Drink now through 2006.

The 1998 Chardonnay exhibits the influence of barrel fermentation and lees stirring. Creamy-textured, with copious tropical fruit and buttery hazelnut characteristics, this obvious yet delicious Chardonnay should drink well for 1-2 years.

The grapes for this wine are from vineyards in the cooler regions of Sonoma County. Fermentation in small French Nevers oak barrels add subtle oak and vanilla nuances to the citrus and varietal fruit flavors, creating a rich, multilayered Chardonnay.

A bit earthy, with vanilla and pear flavors that carry through to the slightly soapy finish. Drink now through 2001.