The 2002 Vega Sindoa Chardonnay Cuvee Allier did not have as impressive raw materials to work with as the 2001, but it possesses elegant, ripe peach and pear notes, medium body, a hint of pain grille, and good crispness as well as freshness. It should be drunk over the next year. This is a terrific bargain.Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767

The 2001 Vega Sindoa Chardonnay Cuvee Allier (1,500 cases) emerges from the estate's finest vineyard. Yields were only 1.45 tons of fruit per acre. This offering displays the best integration of wood yet found in a Vega Sindoa cuvee. Excellent ripe notes of tangerine fruit intermixed with caramel, honey, and citrus are followed by an elegant, fresh Chardonnay with loads of personality. Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates From Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767

I have had mixed emotions about past offerings of the Cuvee Allier as the wood was often too aggressive. However, the winery appears to have achieved the proper balance between wood and fruit with the 2000 Chardonnay Cuvee Allier, as the restrained oak adds subtlety and complexity. Yields were a minuscule 1.45 tons of fruit per acre, and the wine was barrel fermented with frequent lees stirring. It offers notes of buttery fruit, honeyed lemons, a touch of orange skin, and ripe apples. With medium body, delicious fruit, excellent concentration, and fine purity, it is a serious, Burgundian-styled Chardonnay. Trust me, I taste thousands of New World Chardonnays selling for 2-3 times the price that are not as good as this offering. Drink it over the next 12-18 months. Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates From Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767

The complex 1998 Chardonnay Cuvee Allier exhibits an overlay of pain grille, roasted nuts, buttered citrus, and a Chassagne-Montrachet-like smokiness. This medium-bodied Chardonnay, which enjoyed full malolactic fermentation, possesses a nicely-layered texture and good ripeness. As it sat in the glass, the oak became more subdued and the wine more elegant. This is an ideal candidate for a ringer in a blind tasting of white Burgundies or California Chardonnays costing three or four times as much. Drink it over the next year. Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates From Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767

Well balanced, as well as rich and long, with considerable personality, is this wine. This is a big, powerful, forceful Chardonnay with full body, California-like tropical fruit intensity, good spice, subtle, well-integrated, toasty oak, and serious flavor extraction, concentration, and length. I do not believe readers will find a more complex, richer Chardonnay for the price. Drink it over the next year.This family-owned (eight separate families) winery in Navarra, in the foothills of the Pyrenees has become one of the leading sources of terrific wine values. The production from all estate-grown fruit is about 66,000 cases, of which half is sold in America. As I have reported in previous issues, these wines are must purchases for readers seeking to maximize their purchasing power.Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates From Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (617) 461-5767