Short, sunny season benefits Washington chardonnays

The state of Washington can be a good source for value chardonnays, especially if you don't like them with too much oak or over manipulated by the winemaker.

Tropical fruit tends to dominate these chardonnays rather than oak or butter tastes.

The grapes don't have as long a growing season in Washington, but the sunlit days are longer, which contributes to their tasting different from Napa Valley wines.

Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape in Washington, mostly in the eastern, desert areas of the state.

I asked the wine-tasting group to compare five Washington chardonnays in a blind tasting. Here are our results:

- 2002 Gordon Brothers chardonnay at $17.99. This wine had a pleasant aroma of ash, cauliflower, apples, lemon and butter, backed by subtle oak notes. On the palate, this wine delivered richer fruit than we expected from the nose, particularly apples. It had a medium body and a somewhat heavy finish. Based on its overall appeal, this wine finished first in our tasting.

- 2002 Paul Thomas chardonnay at $8.99. This was the least expensive wine in our tasting, although tasters didn't know because the wines were tasted blind. We found a Creamsicle aroma of tangerine and cream, with suggestions of litchi nuts. It was more straightforward and delicate in texture than the Gordon Brothers, tasting light and fresh with hints of green pears. The Paul Thomas had a long finish. It ranked second in our tasting.

- 2002 Hogue Genesis chardonnay at $13.99. The first bottle tasted at our meeting was bad. A second bottle produced the wine with the most oak in the group, more like a California chardonnay. In addition to the oak, we found apples, pepper and butterscotch in the aroma. On the palate, the oak tended to overpower the fruit. The finish was very tart, making it a good food wine.

- 2002 Columbia Crest Grand Estates chardonnay at $13.99. My experts had fun describing this aroma. A "root beer float," said one. "Prunes and vanilla," offered another taster. "A vanilla Dr. Pepper," said a third. We all agreed, though, that on the palate, the wine was flabby, winespeak for a wine that doesn't have enough acids and tastes too creamy.

- 2000 Duck Pond chardonnay at $14.99. This wine was also bad on first taste. In the re-tasting, it reminded us of tropical fruit, particularly bananas. On the palate, we tasted more bananas and melon.

Surfing the wine shelves

- 2002 Turner Road shiraz at $10.99. This wine had a spicy nose with notes of plum and other red berries. Fruit dominated the palate, with hints of oak on the finish.

- 2002 Cousino-Macul Finis Terrae at $19.99. This wine was a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Dark black fruit emerged in the nose with floral and chocolate notes. On the palate, black cherries led a fruit-forward impression that was so big, it probably needed a couple of years of aging.

- 2002 Veramonte merlot at $9. This Chilean red was rather big for a wine in the $10 range. The aroma offered plums and dark fruit. On the palate, it was intense and dark, with blackberry tastes. The finish was long for a merlot.

- 2003 Kendall-Jackson chardonnay at $12. This venerable chardonnay is prized for its consistency year after year, offering aromas of apples, peaches and tropical fruit. On the palate, we tasted lemon and pineapple, with lemon rind on the finish.

Questions can be sent to Frank Sutherland, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 or e-mailed to fsutherland