From the Oak Knoll area, this is a super-oaky wine, bursting with vanilla and char. The underlying fruit isn’t really big enough to sustain it, though. The wine is earthy and soft, leaving the oak to dominate. ——S.H.(6/1/2006)—— 84

Rich, creamy and well-oaked, this Chard oozes tropical fruit, caramel and spicy vanilla flavors. It’s sweetish in honey on the finish.——S.H.(10/1/2005)—— 88

From the cooler Oak Knoll district, a spicy, ripe Chard that’s big in everything. Super tropical fruit flavors, lavishly toasted new oak, lots of lees and all the other bells and whistles. ——S.H.(12/1/2004)—— 88

There’s plenty of fancy toasted oak lathered over ripe fruity flavors ranging from apple and pear through mangos, but somehow it doesn’t knit together. The result seems heavy-handed, a paint-by-the-numbers Chardonnay.——S.H.(12/31/2003)—— 84

Big, rich and extracted, this wine was partially barrel fermented, and there’s quite a bit of sweet, smoky, vanilla-tinged oak—from the aromas through the long, spicy finish. Despite the bulk, it’s elegant and balanced. This full-bodied, no-holds-barred white would be particularly good with barbecued shrimp served in a saffron and coconut-milk sauce. ——S.H.(8/1/2001)—— 90