If fruit is your bag in Chardonnay, then this is the wine for you. On paper you'd think this Chardonnay would be just riddled with oak notes galore, but in truth it is the fruit that is the star here. Barrel aged for a full 14 months, and on its lees (the dead yeast cells), with a stirring of those cells each week for the first 4 months ... all that is a recipe for big, buttery and oaky. But somehow Rosewood has avoided the sucking-on-a-stave feeling and instead let the fruit boss around the wood both on the nose and the palate, a lovely example of how the wood can take a backseat and play a proper supporting role. Price: $25.00 - Rating: ****+