I was first introduced to Tandem Wines at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Napa this summer. At the time, I felt like they presented some very strong white wines, particularly the 2006 Tandem Manchester Ridge Chardonnay. After tasting wines for about two hours, it's often hard for one to shine through and make an impression on your palate, but this one did. Definitely one of the better whites at the conference.

So, when I received two new Chardonnay's from Tandem Wines a while back, I was excited to try them.

The first was the 2006 Tandem Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley. On the nose, I picked up grass, pear, minerals and copper. The nose was also reminiscent of an indoor swimming pool covered in lemon and honey. Now, that may sound gross to some of you and just flat out indecipherable to others, but, for me, a kid who grew up in swimming pools, it's always a little nostalgic to pick up a swimming pool smell. In the mouth, some vanilla, oak, lemon, sweet grapefruit and honey. This was a nice Chardonnay, with good acidity (just enough to balance the richness of the vanilla and oak) and a smooth, buttery finish.

Wine Spectator has this to say about it: Sleek, with a trim, modest band of citrus and pear notes shaded by toasty, creamy oak. Gains complexity on the finish. Drink now through 2011. 87

The second wine was the 2006 Tandem Sangiacamo Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley. A first, I thought I had accidentally poured from the same bottle, as it wasn't that much different than the Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay. Still lots of pear and grass, with a touch of peach - not as much swimming pool, but, still, remarkably similar to the Ritchie. I went back and checked the bottles and it was indeed the Sangiacamo that I had poured,, so, given that I tried both relatively quickly after pulling them from the refrigerator, I decided to let them sit a little and see if they showed some different colors.

It was then that the Sangiacamo started to shine. It showed many of the same characteristics as the Ritchie, but displayed a richness that I hadn't tasted 15 minutes earlier, a kind of mellow sweetness. Not like the sweetness of a sweet wine, but more of a just-ripe fig or date-type sweetness. And, again, not too much, but just enough to balance the fruits and compliment the acidity nicely.

Wine Spectator has this to say about it: Intense and richly flavored, with tiers of honey, fig, melon and citrus flavors that turn elegant and spicy, gaining complexity on the finish, where the flavors fold together nicely. Drink now through 2011. 90

Bottom line is that these are both good, solid Chardonnays in their own right and I would definitely buy the Sangiacamo as it displays a bit more complexity than the Ritchie. That said, the 2006 Tandem Manchester Ridge Chardonnay Mendocino still haunts me from last summer. Not sure if it was the atmosphere of the Wine Bloggers Conference or the two hours of tasting that preceded the Manchester Ridge, but there was something about that wine that still stays with me.

What you should do: Tandem is doing some cool things and their winemaker - Greg LaFollete - is a strong one (look for a post on one of his Pinot Noirs coming soon). Pick up a bottle of anything they make if you can - it's definitely worth a try. And, they make enough varietals that you'll be able to experiment should they be to your taste.

My ratings: Ritchie: 87; Sangiacamo: 89

NOTE: the Tandem wines were sent to me as a sample from the winery.