These wines were all fermented and aged in barrels (both new and old) from the famed French cooperage François Frères. Oak helps give a wine structure, complexity and texture. New oak barrels impart more assertive flavors than older ones.
2005 Au Bon Climat XXV Anniversary Chardonnay ($35) ABC's Jim Clendenen actually named his son, Knox, for François Frères barrel broker Mel Knox. His Chardonnay, aged in 100 percent new oak, is gorgeously ripe and satiny. The oak dominates the wine now, but it should mature beautifully.
2005 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir ($45) The Drouhins use only 20 percent new oak with this wine, all the better to let the deliciously ripe red Pinot fruit shine through.
2005 Qupé Bien Nacido Hillside Estate Roussanne ($40) Bob Lindquist, famous for his dedication to Rhône varietals, turns out a truly sumptuous, rich but minerally Roussanne that he calls his "best white wine ever." Aged in one-year-old, rather than new, barrels, the wine has a more subtle oak flavor.
2005 Ramey Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay ($60) Ramey makes judicious use of oak (60 percent new) with this broad-framed, intensely flavored Chardonnay from the famed Hudson Vineyard in Carneros.
2005 Saintsbury Carneros Chardonnay ($20) This lightly oaked Chardonnay (25 percent new, with the balance between one- and two-year-old barrels) is clean, bright and refreshing.
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