Tyler Florence, an American chef, created a wine label to celebrate blending. It makes sense; blending is like cooking: a little of this, a little of that.
This wine is labeled Chardonnay but actually is a blend, incorporating four percent Viognier. Lavish but not ostentatiously opulent, the wine blooms with the honeydew-lemon essence of Sonoma County Chardonnay, but that Viognier adds a distinct apricot lift. Herbs and flowers drift above, a calming influence to this otherwise forward, but not brazen, style.
It was excellent with a Brie-style American cheese from Vermont’s von Trapp Family estate, the creamy, lactic paste of the cheese echoing the wine’s butter notes, with the wine rinsing the palate with a wash of juicy fruit.
All of that matters when you’re a chef, and even when you’re not.
14.2% abv | $20 (sample)
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