Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay 2016

If there's a California winery making better stuff at sundry price points than Rodney Strong, I'd love to hear about it. The Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay 2016 is actually a serious bargain at $20, packed with an array of delicious flavors and showing nary a hint of butter or oak. Just pure, clean fruit in spot-on harmony with mouthwatering acid and mineral notes. Great back story, too: Founder Rodney Strong was a professional dancer who fell in love while performing for four years in Paris. He planted chardonnay in Sonoma County's heretofore unappreciated Chalk Hill region in 1965. Enjoy this with shrimp on the barbecue (or any which way), fried chicken or fish and summer salads.

Available at Liquor Boy, Morelli's, Surdyk's, Glen Lake, MGM (Minneapolis, Minnetonka and Chaska), Super One (Duluth) and others.

Bill Ward