Style Heavy white New World Country Australia Price $7
Vintage tasted 2009 Grapes Chardonnay
Website www.alicewhite.com

Overview We love to hate Australia’s irritatingly popular “critter wine” producers, who often seem to spend more time drawing animal cartoons than making decent wine. Alice White’s Chardonnay, however, is an exception to the rule—and has been for the last several years. It’s big and oaky, unmistakably an Australian Chardonnay, but balanced and quite delicious. Maybe it will make us rethink our stance on kangaroo wines.

Nose It’s fairly oaky but balanced by some big, lush fruit.

Mouth There’s still oak, but as one blind taster said, the wine continues to be “nice and tight.”