There are very few Long Island wines at $12 worth putting in one’s mouth. With what it costs to make wine here, that price range just isn’t one that is played in often — and when it is, it’s even more rare for the wine to be good.

Lenz Winery 2008 White Label Chardonnay ($12) is a nice, straightforward chardonnay with low oak footprint that will appeal to a wide range of drinkers and complement an array of foods.

Yellow apple and Bartlett pear dominate the nose, but there are also subtle tropical fruit and citrus blossom notes, and a distant buttery note.

Crisp-bordering-on-crunchy, the medium-bodied palate shows apple in a greener, more-Granny Smith sense. Oak influence is light there, showing more in a rounded mid-palate than in flavor, though there is a gentle nutty edge to the finish, that is a bit short.

Producer: Lenz Winery
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
ABV: 12.5%
Price: $12*

(2.5 out of 5, Average-to-Very Good)

2008, chardonnay, featured, lenz winery, Review