In the glass, the àMaurice Cellars 2006 Chardonnay Columbia Valley (13.6%) is a beautiful, golden yellow color.

Unfortunately, this is all that I found pleasing in this wine, for it was essentially a vanilla oak bomb on the nose and in the mouth. Little, if any, fruit or bouquet from a variety that has much to reveal, unless it's been smothered in new oak.

I thought this treatment of chardonnay went out of style in the 90's. There must remain demand for this approach, as I just don't understand why anyone would adulterate this grape with so much oak. And that's before the cloying, viscous nature of this syrupy wine hit the rest of my palate.

No thank you. Down the drain this went. We tried to pair this wine with dinner but to no avail. I want wine to complement, not smother my meal. When I purchased this chardonnay (~$30) at the àMaurice winery in Walla Walla a year ago, I do not recall this much oak.

Just goes to show that with time, the heavy hand of oak can come back to smack you, just like a two-by-four upside the head.