The 2008 Chardonnay Melville is a striking wine endowed with gorgeous varietal fruit and superb overall balance. The 25% new oak is beautifully integrated in a fairly tight, focused style of Chardonnay graced with exquisite finesse and a creamy, textured finish. The Melville is made from three Chardonnay clones; Wente, Mt. Eden and 115. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. The Chardonnays and Pinots are the highlights among these new releases from Bonaccorsi Wine Company. I was less enamored with the 2007 Syrahs I tasted. The Pinots are vinified with indigenous yeasts and spend 18 months in French oak barrels, 60% new for all wines except the Melville, which gets 70%.Tel. (310) 994-3207; www.bonawine.net

This complex Chardonnay shows lots of smoky-sweet oak, with notes of buttered toast that are perfectly integrated with flavors of Asian pear, tropical fruits and spices. There’s a wonderfully pure minerality that, together with brisk acidity, gives the wine a bracing quality.——S.H.(10/1/2011)—— 93