($40; 15.3% alcohol) Bright yellow. Sappy, ripe nose showcases orchard fruits. More nervy and more minerally than the Woolsey Road example, with excellent acidity and very good grip. At once dense and lively.

Professional content appears courtesy of Vinfolio

The 2003 Chardonnay Charles Ranch, from a three-acre vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, is a concentrated, full-throttle Chardonnay with notes of buttered popcorn, pear, and white flowers, especially honeysuckle. A full-bodied, locked-and-loaded, exuberant Chardonnay, it is thick and rich, and seems to be one of the finest the Martinellis have yet made, possibly eclipsing the brilliant 2002.

Professional content appears courtesy of Vinfolio

How this wine can hold its power for so long is beyond me...well, maybe not (cough, alcohol, cough). Seriously disappointing as everything but the alcohol and the 'touch' of oak has sputtered out. Drink yesterday or for a fun experiment, hold for 15 years.