Cloudburst Chardonnay 2018 (750ML)

Will Berliner owns Cloudburst and makes its wine himself, and his 2018 Chardonnay comes from a warm, dry season in which cool nights kept the fruit fresh. It pours pale yellow-gold, with a heady nose of citrus, pear, pineapple and blossom over buttered toast, plus a saline, iodine note and a hint of tarragon that grows with air. The palate balances weight and drive: tangerine, lime zest and ripe pear, a touch of sweet butter and anise, and a texture that broadens in the glass without losing its tension. The pH is 3.6, and the energy carries through a long finish that circles back to flowers and pear. Its best years run through the late 2020s, by critics' reckoning, with one giving it into the early 2030s. Pour it with butter-poached lobster, seared scallops or roast chicken with tarragon.