Summer chardonnay bargain

What do you look for in a good, cheap chardonnay? Basically, you judge it the way you`d judge any other wine, Chateau Margaux to Chateau Plonk-o: Does it taste good to you? After all, wine is just about drinking pleasure - there`s no other reason to have the stuff around unless your water supply is contaminated. But there are a few things you can expect to find in inexpensive chardonnays. Whether you like `em or not is your call.

Though some of the most intriguing chardonnays in the world are the lean and minerally Chablis wines of France, most of what we find in the stores here - especially at $12 and under - is modeled more on the plush, fruity, low-acid style of California Reserve bottlings. The good news about this style is that it is immediately likable, flattering to the taste buds, and generally a crowd pleaser. Expect aromas of pear, yellow apple, tropical fruit, smoke or vanilla, a broad, soft texture, and sometimes a buttery character. Then there`s the bad news.

To my taste, anyway, all too many chardonnays are flabby, over-sweet, all "upfront" in the mouth, "muddy" - meaning unfocused - in flavor, and over manipulated by the winemaker. A lack of balancing acidity often makes these wines more suitable for cocktail drinking than delicious with a variety of foods at dinnertime. When I shop for inexpensive chardonnays, or recommend them to friends, I`m always aware that you`ve got to pick and choose to find wines that have more of the good news qualities, and fewer of the bad. Below are some wines available this summer that fit the bill. Unless noted, all are $12 or under, and are rated Good.

The Antonin Rodet 1998 Bourgogne Chardonnay is the genuine French article, a lovely white Burgundy ("Bourgogne" in French) that`s bright and juicy, with a judicious lick of vanilla oakiness. It`s got true chardonnay flavorfulness, but is - rare enough - crisp enough to be actually refreshing. (Very Good).

The Benziger Family 1998 Chardonnay Carneros is at the opposite end of the stylistic scale from the Rodet wine above. It`s a true, bursting-with-ripe-fruit California wine. Full-bodied, creamy and packed with flavor, it`s a well-put-together beauty at the northern end of our price scale (about $12-$13). (Very Good)

The Fetzer 1998 Barrel Select, Mendocino County, is a truly luscious, super-soft and well-filled-in wine. It wafts notes of lemon, nutmeg, banana and pear, all with a cool climate feel in its lack of over-richness. (Very Good)

Hogue`s 1998 Chardonnay from Washington`s Columbia Valley is a lovely, silky textured wine in a fruity, straight-ahead, medium-body style. It`s got a slight off-dry impression, but the finish is still clean. (Good/Very Good)

Gallo of Sonoma`s 1998 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, is smooth and crisp, with a pretty, classic yellow appley fruit quality. It could use some umph, but it`s a tasty sipper.

What I like best about the Vina Tarapaca 1999 Chardonnay from Chile`s Maipo Valley is the clean, palate refreshing cut of acidity that gives its fruitiness a lift and freshness. That, and its $7 price tag.

Belvedere`s 1998 Chardonnay, Sonoma County, is another wine for California big-flavor lovers. It`s back label notes its "plump, Rubensesque fruit," and that sounds about right: It`s loaded with everything - vanilla, licorice, ripe pear - and mostly holds it all in balance.

I don`t quite know what to say about the Brancott 1999 Chardonnay, Gisbourne, from New Zealand, because I didn`t know you could make chardonnay DO this: The wine tastes like an unsweetened version of a tropical punch drink. The aroma wafts a fresh pineapply scent, and the flavor mingles pineapple and passion fruit - taste it for yourself. It`s certainly not classic, but it`s bright and firm-textured, a well-made wine meant to stand out from the herd. It does.

Carramor`s 1999 Chardonnay, South Eastern Australia, is made from fruit so ripe it almost tastes like bruised peaches, or like a peach just in that window before it`s over-ripened. Drink it while it`s young, bright and lively.

Richard Nalley`s wine articles appear in Men`s Journal, Food & Wine and Departures. He is the winner of the 1997 James Beard Foundation Award for Magazine Wine Writing. Please send your wine questions to Wine Talk, c/o Copley News Service, P.O. Box 120190, San Diego, CA 92112-0190. Questions regarding individual bottles or collection appraisals cannot be answered.

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Richard Nalley