This wine will truly amaze you.

Not just because it is a chardonnay from cooler-climate Santa Barbara County, Calif., almost masquerading as a sauvignon blanc, in both bottle style and look. And also not because it is 9.5 percent alcohol, which is light, but because it is available in the retail market for less than $3.

Admittedly, it is one of the summer specials priced to sell, but what a deal!

The trick with White Lie is that the company picks the chardonnay early when it is less sweet so that when the sugar converts to alcohol, you end up with this much "lighter" wine.

In the glass, White Lie Chardonnay is a faint yellow color with a greenish tinge, a crisp clean appearance in the core of the glass, going out into a faint to glass-clear rim definition with medium viscosity.

On the nose, there are immediate fresh notes of Key lime pie, lemon rind, citrus grove, crushed white fruit, stone fruit, chalky minerals and a touch of aspirin.

In the mouth, the wine is deliciously rounded in crushed white fruit flavors with dominance by citrus fruits -- in particular, pomelo -- but also white currants, cooked apples, Granny Smith apple skins and excellent crispness in minerals and acidity. There is a nicely balanced midpalate where the acidity comes into play, but it is countered by the fruit in the wine, and the finish is composed and supple, ending with just a twist of lime.

Try it with light summer dishes such as Dover sole meuniere with a lemon sauce or a chicken picatta with capers and lemon. It should drink well through 2007. It is a great quaffing wine, and at this price you should buy it by the case.

Wine: White Lie Chardonnay

Grape: Chardonnay

Region: Santa Barbara County, Calif.

Vintage: 2004

Price: $2.99

Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.