looking for buttery (malolactic) chardonnays

I hate to scare you off, but $20 is pretty much entry level for the type of wine you are seeking.

Not that there aren't a number of big producers out there that you might be satisfied with (e.g. Gallo of Sonoma, Belvedere, Kendall-Jackson - to name a few) but the better stuff starts at ~$20US.

Tom S www.châteauburbank.com

If you have no sense of smell, then the presence of oak, vanilla or butter aromas would make no difference to you.

I see.

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

Fiona you might try the Chateau St Jean Sonoma County Chardonnay that sells for around $10 or less. The Heitz sells for about $15 and is really a good buy. One that I like right now is Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Vineyard that is also around $15. Try these wines just barely chilled instead of very cold.

If you want to go for the gold in this line, try the Chalk Hill. I think they substitute about 50% butter in their wine.

I'm with Fiona regarding "apple, grapefruit, and citrus" in Chardonnay. If I want those flavors I'll tend toward Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. At least that's where I usually encounter those flavors.

For Chards I like butter, vanilla, and (alas) oak. I agree with previous comments that finding "big" Chards with those flavors usually means a bit more $$, but surprisingly my old stand-by Rex Goliath comes through with a 47-pound Rooster Chardonnay that is very much into the butter, vanilla style. At $5/bottle it's hard to go wrong.

I've also found that Australian Chardonnays seem to lean toward that sweeter, big buttery style--with the exception of Penfold's Rawson's Retreat, which doesn't taste like much of anything.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN #1-58834-103-8

Where do you live Fiona? Makes a big difference on what you can get.