The 2016 Vega Sindoa Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is a classical example of the category with some tropical, medicinal and balsamic notes and ripe fruit aromas and an unctuous palate with some pungent flavors. It macerated in stainless steel and then fermented in barrels where it matured for three months. 60,000 bottles produced.

The 2014 Vega Sindoa Chardonnay (Barrel Fermented) is the only wine from Nekeas that is barrel-fermented, then aged four months in new and older oak. This wine shows chalkiness from the soils, crisp white citrus, white currants, a refreshing, vibrant mouthfeel and pure, light to medium-bodied flavors. There's weight and texture to this wine, which is a Northern Spain version of a Maconnais from Southern Burgundy. Drink now.

The 2013 Vega Sindoa Chardonnay (100% Chardonnay) is the only Nekeas wine that is barrel-fermented. New French oak is used and there is weekly batt?nage, but the wine stays in wood for four months before being bottled. There are 1,400 cases of this cuvée. Drink now.

Made from 100% Chardonnay, the 2012 Vega Sindoa Chardonnay comes from two of the finest hillside vineyards where yields were a remarkably low 1.45 tons of fruit per acre (mindboggling for a wine priced under $15 a bottle). Barrel-fermented in new French oak and aged on its lees for four months in Burgundy barrels, it exhibits lots of tropical fruit (pineapple and mango), no oak, a light to medium-bodied mouthfeel, a fresh, crisp, zesty personality, impressive purity and a hint of minerality. It, too, is best consumed over the next 1-2 years. Bodegas Nekeas, a high-quality, value-priced winery owned by eight families in Navarra, owns over 577 acres of relatively high elevation vineyards. Most of the vines were planted between 1989 and 1997, with the exception of their superb old vine Grenache vineyard, El Chaparral, which was planted between 1890 and 1930. The white wines are all fresh, lively, perfumed offerings that represent killer values. Importer: Jorge Ordonez Selections,Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767: email:corporate@jorgeordonez.com

The only white from Bodegas Nekeas to see some wood is the 2011 Chardonnay, which is barrel-fermented in new French Allier oak barrels, given weekly batonnage, and aged for four months on its lees prior to bottling. When first produced by Bodegas Nekeas, this wine seemed to have just a trifle too much oak, but now the wood component has been pushed to the background in favor of exotic orange marmalade, honeysuckle and caramelized citrus notes along with some subtle wood spice. This is an opulent, medium-bodied Chardonnay to drink over the next 12-18 months. Bodegas Nekeas is located in the town of Anorbe, north of Navarra in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Owned by eight separate families, it is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to value wines that Jorge Ordonez discovered at the beginning of his career. I was a huge fan of these wines when I was covering Spain, and I remain so after tasting through them for this review of the Jorge Ordonez portfolio. Importer: Value Wines from Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA, tel. (781) 461-5767; Fax (781) 461-2570; www.jorgeordonez.com