Taking a chardonnay break

I've been drinking a lot of sauvignon blancs the last couple of months. The weather started out in March and April warmer than usual, which makes me crave chilled white wines instead of the deep reds of winter and fall. But a couple of weeks ago everything changed back to spring instead of the high-desert summer and I went looking for something a bit more substantial. About then, I found in my mail a bottle of the J 2006 Chardonnay from Sam Dependahl at J Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg, Cal. That year was the first year for their new winemaker, George Bursick, and the 2006 vintage clearly has Bursick's talents all over it. Bursick, who also carries the title Vice President of Winemaking, is well-known in the wine industry with his 30-plus years of experience in winemaking, winery design, vineyard management, just about anything an industrious and inquisitive winemaker might delve into. I was fortunate to meet Bursick in early 2007 shortly after he came over to Judy Jordan's Russian River Valley operation and have to admit I wasn't sure what to make of him. I was aware of his reputation as a talented winemaker but what I didn't expect was to find someone so approachable and friendly, willing to share as much information as I had the knowledge to ask about, which admittedly wasn't much. No state secrets changed hands, that's for sure, but he gave a handful of writers an extended tour of some new vineyards and explained his goals for the future of J wines. We were looking at a Pinot Noir vineyard when someone asked Bursick about the challenges the moody grape offers. Well, he said slowly, it's true no one owns Pinot Noir. "If you want to do it right, you can't cut corners and you can’t lower your standards," he said. That was his modus operandi, he said: Get the details right and everything will work out. Without daring to speak for Bursick, I'd say the future nearly is here. I was earlier impressed with his Pinot Noir and now the 2006 Chardonnay proves to be lively and fresh, without any of the over-bearing oak flavors too many California chards fell into in the last decade or so. Just enough oak to act as a subtle condiment, enhancing rather than overpowering the flavors of green apples, citrus and hints of caramel in the wine. It's a bit pricey, $35 or so, and in these times that price point isn't moving quickly off the shelves. But as investor Warren Buffett often has said, quoting economist Ben Graham, “Price is what you pay; value is what you get.”