1997 Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay ($9).

This breezy, light chardonnay is one of those perennial California favorites that you can count on year in and year out. The secret of Sundial's success is that the oak-barrel flavors are not too strong for the wine's relatively mild flavors. The result is not a wine of great complexity or weight but one where the lively flavors of lemon, apple and pear come through with impressive clarity. It's an easy-to-like chardonnay that is well suited for lazy sipping on a late-summer evening. Knowledgeable restaurateurs also have discovered that it's a crowd-pleasing house chardonnay.

Pub Date: 7/29/98