The 2007 Chardonnay de La Tour is a fat, rich Chardonnay with good ripeness, volume and varietal expression. That said, the wine comes across as somewhat monolithic, one-dimensional and excessively oaked, while lacking the verve of the finest vintages.Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012. Gianni Menotti makes some of the richest, most fully-flavored wines readers will come across in Friuli. The entry-level 2008 whites appear to be excellent across the board, but it is the 2006 Merlot Graf de La Tour that steals the show among these new releases.Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

Year after year, this is one of our favorite Chardonnays from Northeast Italy. This year, however, there is an aromatic element out of place and the wine seems unable to deliver its bouquet with the same intensity. You do get exotic fruit and toasted nut but the wine really excels in the mouth thanks to its creamy, spicy flavors.——M.L.(8/1/2009)—— 88