Today’s wine was designed to populate by-the-glass lists in the San Francisco Bay Area—or, more specifically, by-the-glass lists that offer real value (which, quite frankly, is not many). As a restaurant guy, I’ve long believed that the wines offered by the glass are the window into a restaurant’s soul, and on that front, there’s still a lot of soullessness out there: bad glassware, bad pours, bad temperatures, bad wines.
As we say almost daily, “value” and “cheap” are not the same thing, which today’s wine demonstrates as dramatically as any we’ve ever offered. Transverse is a private label created by a California wine distributor in partnership with producers he represents in the Santa Rita Hills. It’s the same premise as most sommelier-branded bottlings, which is to say it is expertly selected, custom-crafted wine from blue-chip vineyards and wineries—producers who charge at least twice as much for their proprietary bottlings from those same vineyards. This 2015 Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay is a balanced and aromatic evocation of this cool climate, and if you’re looking for either an around-the-house staple or a wine to seriously elevate the drink offerings at a larger gathering, the value-for-dollar here is simply unbeatable. Seriously, check this stuff out (and keep an eye out for its sibling Pinot Noir coming soon!).
Whereas so many California Chardonnays talk the “cool climate” talk while tasting downright tropical, this 2015 from Transverse is all about nerve, with extremely well-moderated alcohol (13.2%) to boot. In the glass, it’s a deep straw-gold with hints of green and silver at the rim, with bright aromas of green and yellow apple, nectarine, orange blossoms, lemon curd, and wet stones. One could be easily fooled into thinking this wine was from Chablis; it shows great minerality and just vibrates on the palate, with enough depth to offer a long and aromatic finish. Needless to say, the word “buttery” will never leave your lips in describing this wine; it is ready to drink now, and decanting is optional (although it certainly won’t hurt). Serve it at 50-55 degrees in Burgundy stems alongside some marinated and grilled spot prawns (a Santa Barbara specialty). That is California dreaming—and drinking—at its finest. — David Lynch