Happiness is having your very favorite California Chardonnay cost $15. Or less. I kid you not. There are many, many California Chards I haven't tried yet, and there are many others that have impressed me extremely favorably until I saw the price tag, but nobody makes a long-lived, full-bodied, well-rounded, delicious and affordable Cal Chard like Josh Jensen. And, no, I'm not talking about the often over-oaked, flamboyant and sometimes quirky, sometimes awesome Mt. Harlan bottling.

I opened my last bottle of 1996 Calera Central Coast Chardonnay Friday night with a scrumpious grilled Steelhead salmon. While my $35 Wine Spectator-touted 96 Beringers have long since given up the ghost, this wine was still youthful, rambunctious and thoroughly tasty, with notes of pineapple and honeysuckle and a gorgeous mouthfeel that almost made me reluctant to swallow it. (Er ... anyway ... ) The 1998 is drinking beautifully, but is way short of showing its best stuff yet and I'm not opening my 2000s for a while yet. As you can see, I've somehow managed to miss the "best" vintages in these case purchases lately, but it really doesn't seem to matter. I had a few 94s and 95s and I have a few half bottles of the 97, and the wine is consistently great and greatly consistent, vintage to vintage. If I had to choose one California Chardonnay to stock my cellar with, this would be it. (Fortunately, though, I don't. Variety is indeed the spice of life.)