1995 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay “Mac Gregor Vineyard,” Edna Valley ($16)

Mount Eden Vineyards’ estate-bottled Chardonnay is always one of California’s best; “Mac Gregor Vineyard” is its younger sister. The 1995 is deep gold, with a light and lovely fragrance of citrus, litchi and vanilla. Silken in texture, much more elegant in the mouth than you would expect, it outclasses most Chardonnays being sold at twice the price. (With a little research, you can find the MacGregor as low as $12.99.)

And if you happen to come across a bottle of the 1994 Mount Eden Chardonnay “Estate” bottling, grab it. There’s not much around, and the 1995 won’t be released until June.