The 2009 Kapnias "Zygos Vineyard" is a Chardonnay from 27-year-old vines, oak aged in a mixture of new and second pass oak for 8 months. Well marked by oak, it nonetheless shows some brightness and precision as well, giving it some personality and vibrancy. It is rather charming and friendly, although it does fade a bit with air and is always prominently flavored by the oak. Drink now-2014. Importer: Athenee Importers & Distributors Ltd., Hempstead, NY; tel. (516) 505-4800

The 2008 KAPNIAS “ZYGOS VINEYARD” is all Chardonnay, oak aged in a mixture of new and second pass oak for 8 months. Despite what sounds like restrained oak treatment, I found this to be rather ponderous and stolid, too marked with oak, smelling of little else. It was hard to find the fruit, even though there is decent depth here, but to its credit, it does have some good acidity, which cuts through the oak and gives it some life. Drink now-2012. Hatzimichalis makes a wide variety of brands, and dabbles extensively in international grapes like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. They have a pretty nice touch with those grapes—although I thought their Chards were a bit better in the last round of reviews. I’m sure they will take flack for their focus on international grapes rather than indigenous ones. The lower level wines are usually very nice values, though. Some of the prestige labels, some of which are not imported, are usually single vineyard wines and can struggle to justify their extra cost.Importer: Athenee Importers & Distributors LTD., Hempstead, N.Y.; tel: (516) 505-4800