Wine Talk by Robert Whitley

This week's tasting notes are chock full of recommendations for modestly priced white wines that will enable you to ride out this Indian summer in style. Seems like further evidence that price is no precursor to pleasure when it comes to wine. Until we get to the Far Niente Chardonnay, which is a budget buster at $56 per bottle.

So, eyebrows raised, you may ask what its doing in the mix. Fair question. The answer is quite simple: Sometimes you actually get what you pay for.

Far Niente Chardonnay, more than the highly regarded Far Niente Cabernet, is among the finest in its league, for truly exceptional California chardonnays are fewer and farther between than exceptional California cabernets.

What makes a great chardonnay is a matter of taste. Some would say the rich, buttery thick style of chardonnay produced by purveyors, such as Rombauer, constitute greatness. I would rather wash out my mouth with soap! Not really, but you should understand that generally speaking the oily, buttery chards are not my favorites. The exception would be a chardonnay, such as Talbott's Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, which has enough acid backbone to balance the fatness of its fruit.

So, who makes what I would consider great California chardonnay? Kistler, Freestone, Patz & Hall (which once was in the Rombauer camp until winemaker James Hall shifted gears a few vintages back), Grgich Hills, Chateau Montelena, Nickel & Nickel and Sonoma Cutrer. There are others. And then there is Far Niente, a Napa Valley icon restored by the late Gil Nickel, a very private person and Renaissance man who flamboyantly shunned the limelight.

The common threads in all of my favorite chardonnays are finesse, balance, flavor intensity, minerality, and what I would call elegant power. These wines are not too heavy; they are not too light. They are all fermented and aged in wooden barrels, yet they don't reek of oak. They all possess complex flavors and aromas that include fruit, earthy minerality and spice.

And importantly, especially for those of us who know the sheer pleasure of a 10-year-old chardonnay that remains fresh and vibrant, they have the ability to age if cellared properly. Your average run-of-the-mill New World chardonnay begins to turn a dark color and oxidize a few years after the vintage.

When I come across one of these gems, I am compelled to share my clearly subjective point of view as well as my enthusiasm for such creations, regardless of price. These wines are invariably made in small quantities and frequently sold only to restaurants and avid collectors. You aren't likely to find them at the grocery store.

Yet I believe you should know this: If you do, and you are tempted to take the plunge, just do it. Occasionally, you really do get what you pay for.

BEST BUYS

Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value.

S.A. Prum 2008 'Essence' Riesling, Germany ($13) — There are so many things to love about this wine I hardly know where to begin.

So, let's start with price. It's not going to set you back much, despite very good quality. This is an extremely good value for wine lovers on a budget. Then there's the 10.5 percent alcohol, which is very low. You could drink this wine all day. Finally, and most importantly, it's a fresh, clean, juicy riesling that's fruity yet bone dry. Lovely aromas of apricot and stone fruits about, the acidity is zingy and will stand up to spicy cuisine, and there's enough minerality to complement raw shellfish, such as oysters on the half shell and cherrystone clams. A best buy among best buys. Rating: 88.

Fonty's Pool 2007 Chardonnay 'Single Vineyard', Western Australia ($15) — Fermented partially in wood and partially in stainless steel, this lovely quaffer from Western Australia is zesty and clean, exhibiting notes of Granny Smith apple and wet stone, with solid acid backbone. When you want the weight of a chardonnay with the zip of a sauvignon, this is the ticket. Rating: 87.

Clif Family Winery 2008 'The Climber' White, California ($14) — An eclectic blend of five white grapes — sauvigon, chenin, chardonnay, riesling and muscat — that come together to produce a refreshing quaffer that is spicy and zesty, well-balanced and modestly priced. It's also in screwcap, which makes it perfect for parties or picnics. Rating: 87.

St. Francis 2007 Chardonnay, Sonoma County ($15) — An excellent value wine for those who enjoy buttery chardonnays that exhibit a fair amount of spicy oak, but can't afford the likes of Rombauer. St. Francis' '07 Sonoma County bottling delivers aromas of butterscotch, lemon, pear and oak vanillin at a low price for what you're getting. Rating: 87.

TASTING NOTES

Far Niente 2007 Chardonnay, Napa Valley ($56) — The beauty of Far Niente Chardonnay is its versatility. Those who simple can't wait can pop the cork tonight and feast on one of the Napa Valley's most consistently stunning chardonnays. And those who have the patience to tuck it away and wait for maturity can have the pleasure of tasting one of the few California chardonnays that can age as gracefully as a premier cru white Burgundy. The elegant '07 is seamless, integrating delicate aromas of peach, pear and lemon custard with hints of toasty oak, spice and a lemony minerality. This is a beauty, either now or later. Rating: 95.

Dry Creek Vineyard 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley ($16) — Over the decades the sauvignon blanc of Dry Creek Vineyard has evolved, morphing from the pungent, grassy expression of its heyday — when few wineries took sauvignon as seriously as David Stare at Dry Creek — to a more sophisticated interpretation of California sauvignon, and more specifically Dry Creek Valley sauvignon, today. The '08 offers a broad palette of aromas and flavors, from juicy stone fruits to zingy grapefruit to honeyed tropical notes that linger on the finish. This well-balanced sauvignon also checks in at a modest 13.5 percent alcohol. Rating: 92

Sequoia Grove 2007 Chardonnay, Carneros ($25) — Sequoia Grove's '07 chardonnay is keeping with the recent trend in California to back off on the alcohol and oak. It's well-balanced at just a nudge above 14 percent alcohol, exhibits aromas of pear, baked apple and spice, and delivers good palate weight and mouthfeel, with excellent persistence of flavor through the finish. Rating: 89.

To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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