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A world of white wines

By Darryl Beeson

Sometimes Chardonnay is the answer in your glass. It sure is popular. Then again, other white wines may quinch your thirst. You decide from the following.

Bouchaine Chardonnay, Carneros 2003
Price $25
Rating 94
The nose is rich with exotic spice and balanced with fruit, oak and butter. The sip offers resounding fruit and very assertive oak. The long finish trails with butter, lime zest and subtle white fruit. Learn more at www.bouchaine.com .

Camelot Highlands Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley 2003
Price $25
Rating 93
Delicate, complex array of tropical fruit, the nose is almost perfumed. Batonage results in a further complexity from the spent yeast cells within the barrel. The sip reveals lime crispness, earthy oats, an array of tropical fruit and an earthy presence. Learn more at www.kj.com .

Coldstream Hills Chardonnay, Yarra 2003
Price    $17
Rating 89
"Our aim is to produce wines of elegance and with a long finish," says the wine’s patriarch James Halliday, "We believe that oak flavors should never dominate."  Only French barrels are used, made to unique specifications to reduce the addition of any roughness of flavor, with the goal of achieving elegance. The entire winemaking process insures delicacy.

D’Arenberg “The Jump Stump” White, McLaren Vale 2004
Price $10
Rating 88
The sip is crisp and refreshing, full of white fruit, pear, and bright citrus. The taste is designed for food, and it lingers on the palate. This white is a bargain at the price. An unoaked blend of premium varietals which changes from vintage to vintage, but always conspires to create an excellent, lively white, proudly named after an important South Australian invention - the stump jump plough. Many of McLaren Vale’s old vineyards were originally cleared using this invention. The plough saved many a vineyard owners' back and patience as the plough ‘jumped’ over the most stubborn roots, saving valuable time and resources. Find out the rest of the story at www.darenberg.com .

D’Arenberg “The Hermit Crab” Marsanne-Viognier, McLaren Vale, 2003
Price $16
Rating 91
This is a well crafted white wine. The crisp acidity is balanced by the luscious, ripe fruit. There is citrus, floral and ripe pear in the flavor profile. Why the Hermit Crab? Many of McLaren Vale’s vineyards are on free-draining soils underlain with limestone, formed by the calcareous remains of the local fauna which lived in the shallow seas which once covered what is now McLaren Vale.

Domaine Weinbach Riesling "Cuvee Theo" Alsace 2003
Price $35
Rating 98
This reviewer believes that this may be one of the finest white wines known to man. The entry is moderately crisp and very dry. The flavor profile is rich with complexity. Upon swallowing the sip, the impression lingers for many minutes. It paints the palate. This white wine will age successfully. Floral, citrus flower, oily richness, mineral and much more are found.

Green Point Chardonnay, Yarra 2003
Price $16
Rating 90
This full-bodied white wine softens things with a floral nose. Crisp apple, citrus, exotic spice and brown spice round out the sip. A gently spirited, more elegant sip, this Chardonnay does not overpower with too much oak or California-like butter. It is reserved, not unlike a gentleman farmer.

Greg Norman Estates Chardonnay, Victoria 2003
Price $14
Rating 90
Crisp lime and citrus leads the way. Then there is grapefruit, ripe pear and then pepper/spice. The fruit is primarily from the Yarra Valley, an excellent source for complex grapes with great wine potential. Though the name of the wine is a golfer, this wine is no gimmick. The excellence in the bottle matches the excellence of the player. More information is at www.shark.com .

Kendall-Jackson "Vintner’s Reserve" Chardonnay, California 2003
Price $12
Rating 91
"Opulent, tropical fruit backed up with hints of lemon, lime and apple, along with some butter."  Says wine maker Randy Ullom. "It is bursting with tropical flavors such as mango and pineapple, delightful aromas and flavors of peach, Gala apple, lemon, lime and pear are layered with butterscotch and subtle toasty oak." It is creamy and lush, with a long finish. Learn more at www.kj.com .

Kendall-Jackson "Grand Reserve" Chardonnay, California 2003
Price $18
Rating 92
Rich, chewy flavors of mango, cashew butter, citrus and ample but balanced oak make this Chardonnay very desirable. The mix of the fruit sourcing is 53% Monterey County, 42% Santa Barbara County, 5% Sonoma County. Barrel Aging: Nine months aging in 82% French (33% new) and American oak.

Darryl Beeson travels the world looking for great wine values. In the past, he has been wine steward or cellar master for The Mansion on Turtle Creek, Voltaire, and The Adolphus Hotel. Not one for stuffiness or secret handshakes relative to wine, this Texan might now be described as a "ki-yi-yippee sommelier, sommelier." Beeson reports on wine, spirits, food and travel for numerous publications.

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