Every wine enthusiast of a certain age knows all about "chablis." That would be a white wine of unknown origin poured from a jug (this was before bag in the box) for the rubes who couldn't handle a martini or Manhattan while waiting at the bar for a table inside their favorite restaurant.

Some preferred red wine instead. That was called "burgundy." Those were the days many wine lovers would just as soon forget.

Chablis, of course, is a site-specific wine from a real place. The Chablis district is the most northerly vineyard area of France's Burgundy region, a place where the heavy clay and chalk soils produce a flinty, refined chardonnay much prized for its intense minerality. The "chablis" produced in the United States well into the 1980s, generally made without so much as a drop of chardonnay, bore no resemblance to the real thing, but the damage to the reputation of French Chablis was huge.

Only now is true, classic Chablis making a comeback outside the small circle of wine connoisseurs who have always admired its charms. The bounce-back has everything to do with economics.

"The white burgundies from the Cotes de Beaune have gotten so expensive," said San Diego wine merchant and restaurateur Ed Moore, "that folks who want white burgundy are turning to Chablis. They are great wines and that's where the value is."

Indeed, premier cru and grand cru white wines from the Cotes de Beaune — Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet — in the southern end of Burgundy can be quite expensive. They differ stylistically as well because of a warmer climate, which produces richer, riper wines that take well to barrel fermentation and barrel aging.

Chablis is leaner and cleaner because the cooler climate makes for crisp, high-acid wines and the vignerons eschew the use of oak. What is not widely known is that good Chablis is often on par with all but the best grand cru whites of the Cotes de Beaune, and the wines age out nicely.

I've cellared simple "village" Chablis for five to seven years with outstanding results, and the better premier cru and grand cru vineyards can improve in the bottle for a decade or more. The village wines can often be found for well under $20 per bottle, and even superb premier cru wines such as the stunning Domaine Laroche 2005 Les Vaudevey, which I have reviewed this week, can be found for less than $40 per bottle, though the nationally suggested retail is a modest $42 — modest given the quality and the disadvantageous exchange rate.

I also pay close attention to the alcohol level. Laroche's Les Vaudevey is 12.5 percent, a steep drop from the 14 percent-plus chardonnays I sample from the United States, Australia and South America. You might think the difference between 12.5 percent and 14 percent is a mere 1.5 percent, but that number is deceptive. A 14 percent alcohol wine has 10 percent more alcohol by volume than a 12.5 percent wine.

The lower level of alcohol allows you to enjoy Chablis with food, enhances its ability to age, and does it all without sacrificing complexity or nuance. This is not the "Chablis" of our mothers and fathers, and for that we should all raise a glass — or two!

BEST BUY

Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value.

Simi 2007 "Roseto," Sonoma County ($15) — Winemaker Steve Reeder is both talented and artful, crafting wines at Simi, and before that at Cheateau St. Jean, that are, above all, drinkable. His Roseto is but one example. This dry rose is made from syrah with a splash of viognier, which adds a floral nuance and hints of stone fruits on the nose. On the palate the red fruits are dominant, particularly strawberry and raspberry, but there is an underlying earthiness and spiciness that make this wine especially appealing with grilled sausages and fowl. Rating: 90.

TASTING NOTES

Domaine Laroche 2005 "Les Vaudevey" Chablis Premier Cru, France ($42) — Over the years I've slavishly embraced a number of the great white Burgundies of the Cotes de Beaune, all but ignoring chablis. My bad! For these are some of the most wondrous wines of the entire region — and a bargain to boot when stacked up against the likes of Leflaive and Lafon. Domaine Laroche's '05 Les Vaudevey is a scintillating reminder that chablis can be stunning in its own right. This vintage of Les Vaudevey delivers a flinty minerality that is pure chablis, yet with a richness of aroma — brioche and a whiff of butterscotch — that is nothing if not a harbinger of things to come. With vibrant acidity, crisp pear and citrus fruit, and exceptional balance, this still-tight premier cru chablis holds the promise of a brilliant evolution. Rating: 94.

Kuleto Estate 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($60) — The eastern side of the Napa Valley, where Kuleto Estate's vineyards rise to elevations approaching 1,500 feet, is about as good as terroir gets for cabernet sauvignon in California. The days are long, catching the afternoon sun, and the vineyards tend to be well clear of the fog that sometimes hangs heavy over the valley floor. This makes for voluptuous, dense, sensuous cabernet. Kuleto's '04 is that in spades: a full-bodied, mouth-filling blockbuster that's rich in black-fruited aroma, hints of mocha and a sweet, lingering finish that is lip-smackingly delicious. Rating: 94.

Kuleto Estate 2005 Syrah, Napa Valley ($45) — Kuleto Syrah delivers the one thing that is absolutely essential for California syrah because it is so often missing: purity of fruit and well defined flavors and aromas. So much syrah today lacks definition, and thus character. Kuleto's hillside vineyards, at elevations above 1,000 feet, provide beautifully ripened fruit with dramatic lift and definition. The syrah offers intense aromas of blueberry and blackberry, with subtle overtones of smoked meat and spice. It's very much from the mold of a northern Rhone red, such as Cornas. Rating: 93.

Trefethen 2007 Riesling, Oak Knoll District ($22) — Trefethen's dedication to riesling in the heart of America's most important cabernet country is one of the enduring mysteries of California wine. Until, of course, you taste it. What you taste could be called the sweet taste of success, for Trefethen is one of the best in the U.S. at this tricky grape variety. The vines are planted in the southern end of the Napa Valley, where the cool nights preserve the acidity essential to good riesling even as the grapes mature to full ripeness. Trefethen's expression of riesling is multi-faceted, showing floral notes and citrus/tangerine flavors that are persistent through a long, crisp finish with mineral back notes. Rating: 92.

Trefethen 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District ($50) — In this cooler part of the Napa Valley cabernet aromas and flavors trend toward the red fruits, such as currant and plum. Trefethen has always exhibited that profile and the '05 is true to form, including the trademark balance that bucks the current fashion in Napa cabernet. This vintage shows excellent fruit definition, well-measured oak and a spicy, floral finish that is both clean and inviting. Rating: 91.

Trefethen 2006 Chardonnay, Oak Knoll District ($33) — The '06 is quite different than other vintages of Trefethen Chardonnay that I remember. Absent is the overlay of tropical fruit/pineapple that once defined this wine, especially in its youth. The latest release offers rich, ripe flavors of baked apple, a bright layer of yellow citrus and notes of honey and spice that show up on the finish. This is a seductive wine that delivers richness and depth without losing its freshness. Rating: 90.

To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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